Rising Champions
by 0neforme
Summary: In the midst of being frozen for over half a century and the chaos of the Chitauri invasion, Steve Rodgers did not expect to find a hero in the making.
1. Prolog

Overwhelmed would not describe Steve's current emotional state. Before he woke up, he remembered the impact of crashing into the ice. His last thoughts were of Peggy and how he would break the one promise he wanted to keep. He also thought that if he were there, he hoped to see Bucky, he could imagine his best friend's face smirking at him. He would probably make some dumb joke about his death and put his arm around his shoulder, and they would walk together towards the unknown.

But then he woke up, and everything felt wrong. From hearing the baseball game, Steve had been too on the radio and the woman who seemed to talk as if she were walking in a verbal minefield. Choosing each word carefully to try not to set him off.

So, when the super soldier confronted her, and the soldiers came in, they didn't look like anything like the MP's he'd seen, but they did not look anything like Hydra soldiers. However, he needed answers, and as he ran out of the room they kept him in, which looked to be a set of some kind, he pushed through anyone who got in his way.

His blonde hair was pushed back by the wind as his powerful legs pushed against the ground, and it allowed his powerful build to barrel through his opposition. His dark blue eyes quickly scanned his surroundings as he searched for any exits.

Now that Steve was outside of the building, and everything looked so different as he ran. He stopped as he felt a sense of familiarity with where he was at. Then the realization hit the soldier like a truck. He had been here so many times before he joined the army when he would hang out with Bucky. This was Times Square, but it was different. It was even more colorful than it was before and there were so many lights that he didn't know where to look. However, his trance would end as he heard horns honking behind and three black cars that he had never seen before have stopped behind him.

"At ease soldier!" A loud voice called out behind him. Steve turned towards that voice and saw a bald man with dark skin, with one eye covered by a black eye patch, and a short dark beard. He wore a black coat, with both his shirt, pants, and shoes keeping the same color. He walked towards Steve who now noticed his remaining dark brown eye looking at him with the same caution the woman earlier given him. "I'm sorry about that show there..."

"Told ya it wouldn't work Fury!" An unknown male voice called out behind the man. This caught the attention of both Steve and 'Fury' as a new form emerged from one of the cars that surrounded the two men currently standing.

The new figure had long messy blonde hair, pale skin, and the man seemed to hunch over, but he almost seemed to tower Fury and Steve. He was wearing an average set of clothes with a plain jacket over his shoulders. But, what made Steve freeze in place were his eyes. They seemed dark from where he was standing, but his irises were a burning bright blue that seemed to have a light that he would never see again.

"Toshinori?" he asked astonished as if by the man in front of him. The tallest man grinned at the sound of his name; he did a quick salute towards Steve, "Nice to see you again Captain."

Fury sighed, "well we thought it would be best if we broke it to him slowly." Toshinori frowned and looked back at Fury with an annoyed look.

"Well, how did that turn out for ya?"

"Break what?"

Both Toshinori and Fury looked back at Steve as their expressions seem to soften towards him. Fury looked back towards the taller male who nodded and looked back towards his old comrade. "You've been asleep for nearly seventy years."

Shocked would not be the right word he would use to describe how he felt when he heard those words coming out of his friend's mouth.

The American icon turned to look at his surroundings. His mind was telling him that they were wrong, that this was just a dream that he would soon wake up from it and he would see Peggy again.

But, his heart told him differently. Steve's expression softened as the realization hit him. The super soldier felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Toshinori with a doleful look. However, it was replaced by a small smile towards his friend as he put an arm around Steve's shoulder. "C'mon Steve, I'll take it from here Fury."

Fury furrowed his eyebrows but gave Toshinori a reluctant nod. To which the tallest male-led Steve to one of the parked cars.

Now that Steve had taken his attention off of the two men and now noticed the crowd that currently surrounded them with only men in suits being the only barrier, since the two of them were inside the backseat of the car, Toshinori let out a heavy sigh. "So, what do you want to know?"

There were so many things he wanted to ask, what happened during the war, who were those men and how did they find him?

"What happened to the Howling Commandos?"

"Well, not long after you disappeared and the destruction of Hydra, the es-es-ar dissolved our squad. They gave us a choice we either head back home or we could continue the fight. Those of us who did became the first field agents for Shield."

Steve furrowed his brow, but before the super soldier could respond his friend quickly stated. "They were the group that found you and they were the esesar after Hydra was destroyed."

"It's all an acronym for something; I honestly don't remember what it was exactly."

"How about Stark? Did anything happen to him?"

"Yeah, a few years ago he and his wife died in a car crash. But before then he had helped Shield with technology, as well as making a name for himself selling weapons to the military, which used to be in the hands of his son."

"Do, you know what he is like?" Steve asked to which Toshinori just simply shrugged. "To be honest not really, from what it seems like he keeps bouncing around and since I haven't met him, I couldn't tell you."

"What about Peggy?" As Steve finished his question, he felt the air around the back seat of the car become heavier. His friend's eyes and mouth seemed to drop as well the taller man shoulders sagged as if a massive weight had put on him. "She's alive, but the last few times I've visited her, she either believed we were in the forties again, or she would have forgotten me entirely."

Steve felt as if he were hit by a train. He knew that what he asked would have resulted in this. But, he didn't expect the answer he received. The two men remained silent neither of them not knowing what to say to the other.

...

Thankfully the silence between the two didn't last long as they felt the car slow down. "Well, it looks like we're here."

As the car finally stopped Steve opened the car, and he looked towards his friend exiting the car and heading towards the building. Then the soldier saw the sign above him that caused the super soldier to grin. On the sign read, **_"The Hall of Comics!"_**

As he read the sign, he couldn't help, but shake his head as a light chuckle exited his lips. "Do you think you're hitting a little bit on the nose there?"

"Ha, it's called hiding in plain sight my friend! This is the last place anyone would think of finding me." Toshinori jokingly explained as he unlocked the door and entered the establishment.

Steve was immediately taken aback by the vast collection of comic books that filled the multiple shelves around the store. The inside felt lively with its bright colors and the different posters that hold different characters.

"C'mon, I'll get you something to wear and some beer upstairs." The taller male stated as he set his keys on the countertop and opened a door that led to a flight of stairs. To which led to what looked to be an average looking apartment. With some unique decor such as a poster here and there, as well as a desk with a mess of papers on it.

Then Toshinori took off his jacket and laid it over a chair. "Take a seat; I'll be right back." He explained as the taller male left towards one of the other rooms. Steve looked at his friend, and with his jacket off he noticed how thin he was as if he were only skin and bones. And while he may still be taller than the super soldier he seemed to let off an aura of humility. His clothes appeared to look that way as well as they seemed to be a few sizes too large for him.

As Steve waited he went over the desk filled with papers; he seemed to grin while looking at one of the papers.

"Here, I got you some clothes as well as a pair of shoes. Hopefully, they should fit you." Toshinori called out as exited the room and he caught sight of his friend at his desk. "Heh, even after seventy years of being on ice you still like to look through my stuff."

"Well to be fair, you do tend to leave stuff like this out in the open." Steve quickly replied to his friend who smirked as he continued his approach. "So, are you making a book of some kind?"

"It's actually comic book. A couple of years ago an old guy came to me and noticed some of my drawings and then the next thing I knew I was making comics for him. I decided to create some stories based on some of our adventures."

"Do your friends know about these?"

The skinny male grinned, "I said they were based on our adventures not that they were our adventures."

Toshinori sighed, "But, knowing them I wouldn't be surprised if they did. However, it's one of the few things that keep me sane while I'm retired, and besides I requested to be anonymous, so no one knows it's me."

Steve sat down to put on his shoes while his friend walked towards what looked to be a fridge. "Hey, Toshi."

"Yeah"

"If I've in the ice for seventy years, then how do you…"

"Look younger than what I am supposed to be?" Toshinori finished Steve's sentenced as he returned with two beer cans in hand and gave one to his friend, who looked at it with a curious glance at the taller man's can and seemed to mimic the taller blond to pop open the can, as Toshinori grinned in amusement.

"Well One for All does more than just super strength and durability, my body can heal itself, and it does more than close wounds. It also slows down the aging process as well. So, while I may be ninety-one, I physically look like I'm forty." He explained, but as he finished his expression seemed to drop as he looked down at his drink.

"However, even that is…" He then let out a coughing fit which scared Steve as he reached towards his friend, but he was pushed back. Once Toshinori stopped as Steve gave him a confused look, the tall blond noticed and let out a deep sigh.

Toshinori pulled the bottom of his shirt up and revealed a massive wound that had a mixture of green and purple spread across his left side with a large indentation revealing the point of impact. Steve gave his friend a surprised look at the wound, and his eyes narrowed as he met Toshinori's gaze. "Did he do that to you?" To which the blond simply nodded. "Yeah, he hit me with some poison that slows down my healing. But, I in return made sure he could never hurt anyone else ever again." The taller man's eyes grew narrow as his body grew stiffer, and Steve understood his words.

Then his friend seemed to relax and took a long gulp of his drink. "However, not long after that due to my injuries, I would soon become a liability and Shield thought it would be best if I retired. And no matter how hard I fought against it, and now I'm here and we made a deal that if something too dangerous came up, then they would put me on the field."

Toshinori let out a light chuckle and then quickly finished his drink. "But despite all of that." The taller male slowly stood back up and held the can in his palm, and in an instant, he grew over seven feet tall, his body quickly filling up space from his clothes, as well as when he was skin and bones before, now every part of him was covered in muscles. Even his face and hair had changed, as his face seemed to become rounder, and most of his hair was slicked back except for two bangs which were pointed towards the ceiling. The newly transformed male crushed the can within his hands.

"I'm still as strong as I ever was!" Toshinori stated with a wide full tooth smile as his voice became deeper and more boisterous than it was before. This caused Steve to grin as he looked up at him, "so, I'm guessing you don't use that just for parties?" The American icon asked jokingly, to which his enlarged friend let out a loud laugh.

"You could say me being around this area has dropped the crime rate to be the lowest in the entire state! Not to toot my own horn or anything like that, but toot toot!" The larger male exclaimed and caused Steve nearly burst in the way his friend talked.

Once the super soldier seemed to settle down, he seemed to keep a grin on his face. "You know they say that time changes everyone, but even after seventy years, you are still the same. How do you do it?"

The newly transformed man smiled even wider as he let out a low chuckle, "well, I wouldn't say that I haven't changed, but to answer your question, Mr. Rogers. It is because…" As he was about to finish a loud ringing erupted from downstairs.

"Shit!" Toshinori exclaimed as the sudden noise surprised him and caused him to lose his enlarged form as he reverted to his skinnier form and the hero seemed to start another coughing fit, "I must've left the door unlocked!" But Steve was able to notice a little bit of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.

"Toshi, your bleeding!"

"Don't worry it's normal!"

"From what I remember seventy years ago, bleeding from your mouth is not considered 'normal'!"

"That would be a good point, except for the fact that we were never 'normal' to begin with!" Toshinori countered as he pulled some sort of device from his pocket. The taller male concerned look quickly turned into one of relief as he let out a deep sigh.

"Well, that's not so bad." He stated as he put the device into his pocket, "I'll be right back." The skinnier male stated as he put his hands in his pockets and let out a small smile as he went downstairs.

Steve gave his old friend a confused look at his now calm demeanor. It didn't take long for the super soldier to feel a slight itch as curiosity took over his thoughts. Giving in to the itch the now lone male went towards the stairs to see what was going on. But he could not help but take a cursory glance towards the desk with the single drawing of the enlarged form of his friend as he flexed his muscles and above him with stars surrounding it reading, 'ALL MIGHT!' he could not help, but smile towards it. Then Steve proceeded to go downstairs.

…

So, as Steve walked down the stairs he could hear a voice very different from any person he had met before; it sounded like it was a lighter pitch to Toshinori's voice, it was also different from a woman's voice. As he got closer to the source of the voice the clearer it became. "…Well, when I noticed the keys were on the counter, and you weren't there, and I panicked. I know I should've texted you but I didn't know if you could've been taken hostage and I didn't want to make things worse, but I didn't want to call the police in case there was-"

Steve then saw Toshinori standing with a short boy who at least looked to be in his teens with a large set of messy dark green hair. He had freckles that dotted his cheeks which were noticeable from his pale skin, and he had green eyes which darted around the store in nervousness as he continued on his ramblings.

Aside from the green hair, Steve couldn't help but notice how plain the boy looked. As his clothes and backpack did nothing but show how simple he looked, if he were in a crowd he would be able to blend in easily, Steve thought to himself.

However, his rambling was put to an end as Toshinori placed his hand on the boy's head. "You're rambling again Izuku." The elder man stated to which the boy stopped as his shoulders slowly relaxed and his eyes moved towards the ground. "I'm sorry sir."

The older man let out a kind grin towards the teenager, "why should you apologize young man, from where I am standing you were worried about me, so you had your reasons."

Toshinori slowly ruffled the teenager's messy hair. "But next time, text me next time okay." The boy let out a small smile towards the older man as he nodded in acknowledgment.

However, the teen noticed Steve watching the two interact, as his dark green eyes looked at him almost as if he were analyzing him right on the spot. It was also something that Toshinori seemed to notice as well. "Oh, don't worry about him, he's the son of one my old war buddies. Steve this is Izuku Midoriya, Izuku this is Steve. He just got back stateside and wanted to have a place to stay for the night until he found a place to rest his head."

Izuku nodded towards Steve who returned it, "it's a pleasure to meet you sir, and thank you for your service." The teenager quickly blurted out, to which Steve simply nodded towards him. The boy nervously looked back towards Toshinori as he stammered, "Um, mom actually wanted me to ask you if you wanted to eat with us tonight. Mom said she was planning on making some roast and if you want, you could come to eat with us as well, sir."

Toshinori looked up to his friend and let out a small grin. "Well if your mom cooking then you could sign me up, how about you Steve?"

The super soldier let out a kind smiled spread across his face towards the teenager. "I would like that," Steve stated to which Izuku nodded and head towards the door. He then waved towards the two men, "I'll see you tonight then!" He exclaimed as he waved to them and left the building.

"He's a nervous wreck sometimes, but he is a good kid," Toshinori stated to which Steve nodded with him.

"How much does he know?"

"He does not know about my powers nor my past. Just that I'm a friendly neighborhood comic store owner, who happens to be a family friend. And trust me, Steve, when I say you haven't tried anything until you've had food made by Inko."

…

A couple of hours have passed since they saw to which the two old friends caught up some more until they reached the Midoriya's home which resided in an apartment building. Once they were at the apartment door, they were greeted by a chubby woman in her early forties, with green hair and eyes like Izuku's.

She politely introduced herself as Inko towards Steve and thanked him for his service much like her son. Once they entered through the door, Steve noticed the simple layout of the apartment.

The soldier noticed Izuku setting up the table and once the group sat down at the table. As the four made some casual small talk, Steve noticed the politeness of both mother and son, and he could not help but understand where Toshinori meant earlier as the food was amazing. He had not felt this way since even before World War two; it felt as if he were…home.

Once they finished their supper, the super soldier let out an audible sigh. "You were right Toshi; I haven't had a meal like this in years. Thank you miss Midoriya."

"Oh, thank you so much. I appreciate your praise, and you can call me Inko there is no point to be so formal." Inko explained to which Steve nodded towards her.

"Here let Izuku, and I take your dishes for you." After the mother and son pair took the remaining plates and went towards the kitchen.

Steve watched as the two worked together on cleaning the dishes. He could not help but smile at how peaceful it all was. Neither of them knew that they had two superpower beings sitting at their dining table. It reminded him of the life he wanted to have before he crashed into the ice. For the first time since he woke up, he felt quite serene with what was happening.

"You know Steve" the super soldier looked towards his old friend who was smiling towards the two. "Not that long ago you asked why I still wanted to save people, even after all of these years. It's because of people like those two. I want to create a future for them so that they could cherish every moment of the lives that they have. To create a world where people like them could smile freely without looking over their shoulders in fear. That is why I still want to help people." As Toshinori finished his explanation, he looked back at Steve, to which he returned it and looked at the small family.

`"Yeah" Steve commented, "that sounds like a good reason."


	2. Ch 1: The Start of the Journey

Fourteen-year-old Izuku Midoriya sat alone in a hallway filled with lockers furiously writing in his notebook. He was waiting for his friend; she had told him that she needed to talk to one of the teachers about classes as they returned from summer vacation. The green haired teen looked to a comic book next to him. He silently mumbled to himself as he tapped the eraser end of his pencil at a rapid pace.

"Well if I can try to make some sort of hydraulic system I could possibly create a similar result. However, I would need to design something that would carry all of that…" But the teen stopped as he heard male voices in the distance. Izuku quickly put up the comic book into his backpack and shrunk himself as he continued his writing. The voices grew closer, "I know I put it around here somewhere."

"Dude, why didn't you just get it when school let out?"

"Like it really matters, c'mon go get the shitty thing. Just being here longer than I have to is giving me a damn headache."

Izuku froze at the sound of the last voice, the boy slowly turned his gaze towards the sources, and his eyes widened as the boy noticed a teenager his age with spiky ash blonde hair. The blonde boy had an annoyed look as he had shoved his hands in his pockets as his two compatriots were trying to open one of the lockers.

Izuku held his breath as he put his pencil in his notebook as he kept focusing on the blonde teen. The green-haired teenager slowly picked himself up _, 'I need to get out of here.'_ He thought to himself as he started to walk away.

However, two steps towards the exit Izuku noticed his pencil slipping out of his notebook. The teen quickly tried to catch it, but consequently, due to his quick turn, his shoes let out a loud squeak.

The green haired teen froze as he heard the conversation between the three males stop in their conversation. Izuku slowly turned his head towards where he last saw the other three teens.

The Blonde teen turned his head towards the source; then a devilish grin spread across his face. Izuku let out an audible gulp as he put a shaky smile.

"Oh, h-hi Kacchan! W-wow what a small world we live in, w-well I better head out whi-…"

As the green haired boy tried to turn back around, he felt a hand clasp on his shoulder and jerked him back to staring at the blonde teen's shark-like grin. "Well look at who we got here it's Deku, what you got there nerd?"

"N-nothing to important, just some notes I made, nothing important at all!"

"Really? If that's the case, you won't mind if we borrow it for a quick look for a moment."

"Wait, what…" before Izuku could finish, he felt something tug his notebook out of his hands as one of the blonde male's goons snatched it from his grasp. As the green haired boy tried to retrieve his notebook, but the blonde's powerful grip held the teen in place.

The goon who took the notebook, he then opened it, and he couldn't stop laughing as he showed it to his fellow thug who joined in his laughter. "Hey, Katsuki check this out **'Hero Analysis for My Future.'** Looks like we got a wannabe superhero on our hands!"

Izuku eyes focused on a tile on the ground as he heard the two goons laughing. "Well, it seems like you haven't changed since we were kids have you, Deku?" The green-haired teen looked back up towards Katsuki who now had the notebook in his hands. Izuku tried to reach up to retrieve his book, but the blonde male simply raised it out of his victims reach. This caused the bully's grin to widen.

"How many times am I going to beat this into you Deku? What is the point of you even trying?"

"Well, it's just that it is something I've always wanted to do ever since I was a kid y'know Kacchan, and now it doesn't seem impossible anymore with people like Steve Rodgers and Tony Star-gah!"

Before Izuku could finish, he was then slammed towards the lockers. The teen felt Katsuki grabbed a fistful of his shirt; the green-haired teen stared into Katsuki's face. "And what? Are you some sort of government experiment?" Izuku lowered his gaze, "no."

"Do you have a shit load of money hidden somewhere, huh Deku!?"

"No, b-but I could go to MIT and…" As he began his explanation, Katsuki slammed the boy back into the lockers again. "Listen to me nerd! If you think you have any chance of achieving anything, then think again! There is only room for one success story in this shitty excuse of a school and do you know who it is?" Izuku looked away from the snarling face in front of him and weakly replied, "you."

To which the blonde boy threw the notebook in his hand down to the ground. "You're damn right it is Deku!"

"Do you wanna know why Deku? Because I am better than you in every way, and in real life, the spotlight is only big enough for one, and you aren't even an extra, you're below ordinary, Deku! And that is why I called you that remember because you can't…"

"Leave Deku alone!"

A female voice called out, and Katsuki released his grip on Izuku's shirt as he held his hands in the air as he is pushed back by a girl who was their age with shoulder length brown hair, she had large brown eyes and a round face with rosy cheeks. "Ochako," he said as she came up to him her eyes wide with worry as the green-haired boy let out a weak 'I'm okay' to her as he picked up his notebook from the floor.

The brown-haired girl then had turned her concerned expression to one of anger as glared towards the blonde who simply gave her a snide smile as he playfully shrugged his shoulders. Ochako furrowed her eyebrows towards Katsuki, "why don't you go bother someone else, or how about you let thing one and thing two go inflate your ego."

"Don't worry Round Cheeks; we were just talking, aren't we Deku?"

"Yeah, Kacchan." Izuku weakly replied, Ochako then looked back at the green-haired teen who kept his focus on a tile by her feet. Her shoulders sagged from seeing her friend's expression, the girl then grabbed Izuku's arm and pulled him away, "c'mon let's go home."

"However, if you still want to be a hero Deku." Both teens stopped, "just jump off the roof and hope you'll be one in your next life." Izuku eyes widen from the bully's words. However, the green-haired teen felt an aura of anger overcome Ochako and before he could stop his friend she stormed straight to Katsuki. A loud smack could be heard across the hall as the brown-haired girl slapped the blonde across his face.

"You don't ever get to talk to Deku like that!" Ochako shouted at the bully, who's expression turned from mocking to bewilderment at what had happened. However, it would change as he narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"YOU BITCH!" Katsuki yelled, but before the blonde could do anything to her Izuku quickly grabbed his friend's wrist and pulled her away from the path of destruction that was coming towards her and ran from the now enraged bully out of the school building and into the city streets.

…

Both Izuku and Ochako let out heavy gasps in an alleyway. The green-haired teen peeked out of the entrance to see if the raging blonde was still following them. The boy let out a heavy sigh of relief, _'I guess years of running away from Kacchan paid off.'_

The teen looked back at his friend; he raised his eyebrows towards the brown-haired girl as he gestured towards her. "What the heck Ochako? Why did you do that?" As the girl straighten herself, she grasped her arm as the brown-haired girl focused her gaze away from her friend. "I know what I did back there was stupid, but…"

She then met the boy's gaze with her own brown eyes as they shone with a more serious look. "I can't stand seeing Katsuki just push you around like that, and you just let him do it to you Deku! Ever since elementary school, he's been the biggest jerk to you, and you just roll over! Why do you just let him say whatever he wants to you?!"

Izuku was taken back from Ochako's tone, but he slowly slinked back and gripped the straps on his backpack. The teen lowered his gaze, "I know but, every time I try to do something he just gets worse. So, it's just better to deal with it rather than face it."

"Is that why you never stand up for yourself, because you'd rather it just let it all blow over. Even if you end up black and blue in the end?" Ochako asked to which Izuku didn't reply. The girl's expression then softened as she walked over and gently grabbed the boy's hand, the green-haired teen quickly looked up to be greeted by his friend smiling at him.

"C'mon let's go home" She stated to which Izuku gave her a small smile. The two exited the alley and started their walk on the city sidewalk.

"Hey Deku?"

"What's up Ochako?"

"What Katsuki said before I slapped him, did you ever think about…"

"N-no, never!" Izuku quickly stated as he turned towards the girl, who now gave him a concerned expression. "If you ever think of something like that you would tell me, right?"

"Of course, I would!" He answered, and before he could continue he saw the girl's hand with only her pinky finger out. The boy's eyes widen for a moment, but his expression softened, as he gave her a small smile and copied the gesture with his hand and locked her pinky with his. The two then let go of the other's finger and continued their walk.

…

Once they reached the subway station both he and Ochako had split up to go on the subway as it would her way home. The two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Izuku would have gone back home with his mom, but he decided not to he wanted to head back to Toshinori's comic shop. While he loved his mother, Izuku felt like he needed to talk to Toshinori today, even though he seemed to be the same age as his mother. Toshinori always had a sense of wisdom about him, and the older male would give him advice when he needed it.

So, the boy walked towards that direction. The teen's head hung low as thoughts flew through his mind, " _is that why you never stand up yourself."_ Ochako's voice echoed in his head, _"If you think you have any chance of achieving anything, then think again!"_ The exclamation of Katsuki thundered through his brain.

He let out a heavy sigh as he turned down an alleyway that led to Toshinori's shop. The teen then kicked a can across the alley. _'I don't know what to do. Even if I could stand up to Kacchan, it wouldn't do anything he'd just beat me up like usual, but Ochako is right. What kind of hero would I be if I can't stand up for myself.'_

Midoriya then went into his backpack and took out his notebook, the boy smiled and straightened himself and put up a brave face, absolute in his resolve. However, his train of thought would be interrupted by a loud crash of what sounded like glass.

Izuku started to go into a fast jog towards the noise, _'what was that? That sounded close was that Toshinori's shop? Is he okay?'_ Thoughts flew through the teen's mind as he quickly turned his worried jog into a panicked sprint towards the end of the alley. A large, brawny man with a large duffle bag hanging casually off his shoulder as he calmly walked away from the source of the noise.

The two made brief eye contact as the teen continued towards the source of the noise. The larger male gave him a mocking smile towards the boy. Izuku ignored it as he continued towards the exit of the alley, _'I need to make sure neither Toshinori or anyone else is hurt._ ' Midoriya thought to himself.

Once he reached the end and checked the area around him, he saw Toshinori's comic book store windows broken. However, he didn't see any blood around the area and on the door hung a "Closed" sign. _'Toshinori must be busy with something else or must have avoided the encounter.'_ Izuku processed everything around him and saw not many people were walking around the area and not pay attention to the crime that just accrued; he then looked back at the man he passed as he was halfway down the alley.

 _'_ _I could call the police about this, but I just got a glimpse of his face, and if they try to locate him I won't be of any help, and no one else had seen him but me.'_ The green-haired teen analyzed his situation and came to one outcome. _'I need to get close to him, it may be stupid, but even if he beats me away I can get a good look in for the authorities, I need to take this chance.'_

Set on his decision Izuku took off towards the suspected crook down the alley. The teen tried to pull the duffle back off his shoulders, but the crook caught the strap with his hand and held the boy at bay. He had black hair and two scars across his jaw and throat as he let out a sinister grin.

"Well, it looks like we got ourselves a little hero." The criminal stated in a mocking tone to which Izuku pulled with all his strength against his opponent, "this doesn't belong to you!" the boy exclaimed to which the larger man grinned.

"And here I thought I wasn't going to have any fun today!" The beefy man exclaimed as without any warning the teen felt himself being roughly jerked towards the man, the boy then felt a hand wrap around his throat and lift him in the air. Izuku let out a small gasp as he felt his windpipe being crushed by an abnormal strength.

The boy tried clawing his way out of the hold, but this earned a chuckle from the criminal. "Wow, this shit is the real deal! No wonder the drug is so fucking expensive to get these, and I have two vials worth. I was wondering if I was going to waste it from testing it out, but you kid?"

The man threw Izuku as if he were a small bean bag across the alley, causing the boy to roll on his side and slam his back against a wall, he was then gasping for air as the teen felt the wind knocked right out of him. The green-haired boy then tried to get back up, but he was forced back onto the ground by a boot on his back.

The boy slowly looked up to see the criminal's crazy grin, "I have to thank you for being my guinea pig for what I can really do with this 'power up' drug. I now know where to put my investments in the Black Market."

Izuku tried to crawl his way out to no avail, the boy's heart was pounding with adrenaline. Images pop in his head, Ochako, Toshinori, and his mother. _'I don't want to die, please I can't die yet!'_ The boy's mind shouted as fear started to take over him as the sides of his vision began to darken as the larger man put more pressure on his back.

A thunderous boom emitted behind the two and as the man above let out a slight grunt, "what the hell?" The weight that was on Izuku's back was now gone, and a loud crash was heard not far from the boy. But what caught the teen off guard was the boisterous sound of deep laughter beside him.

Izuku slowly opened his eyes, and all he saw was a heavily muscular form, blonde hair with two prongs, and a wide, bright smile, "HAHA, fear not citizen, for I am here!"

 _'_ _All Might?'_ Izuku thought before darkness took his vision.

…

"Hey, hey, hey" a deep voice called out as Izuku was regaining consciousness as he felt something lightly tapping his cheek. As the boy's vision slowly returned to him and in front of the teen was a large smiling figure who quickly raised his hand. "Good to see you up, young man!"

Izuku's eyes then became the size of dinner plates at the sight before him, "A-all Might, you're real!" the boy exclaimed as his mouth became agape. _'Holy crap, I can't believe it, he is actually here in the flesh! He isn't just some sort of picture in a comic book or just rumor online; he is standing right in front of me! I must be dreaming or something!'_ His thoughts were flying through his brain.

"Yep in the flesh, sorry for that I had just done my daily patrol and noticed a disturbance on my return, HAHA." All Might laughed, the boy then quickly looked around, _'where is it? Found you!' He picked up his notebook, 'now I just need for him to…'_

The teen then joyfully squealed as he opened his notebook to be already signed by the hero. "Oh my god, thank you so much! I will treasure this forever sir!" To which All Might simply gave the boy a thumbs up in appreciation. "Thank you, young man for your gratitude, but I need to give this scoundrel to the authorities."

The hero then held up the criminal who had hurt Izuku earlier. He had large bruises on his face as well as a large bump on his forehead, his body had shrunken down from his beefy form earlier, and his hands were now bound together.

"Would you please take this and return it to its rightful owner." The hero then handed the boy the duffle bag that the criminal had carried earlier. "Now I have to go, as a hero's job is never done!" All Might exclaimed as he stretched his legs. "Wait, I need to ask you something!" Izuku called out. "I'm sorry, but I do not have time for questions at the moment, I must head off."

 _'_ _But I need to ask you.'_ This may be the only chance he will ever get to see his role model in person to have his chance to know, the one question he needed answered.

 _"_ _What is the point of you even trying?"_

 _"_ _Do you wanna know why Deku? Because I am better than you in every way, and in real life, the spotlight is only big enough for one, and you aren't even an extra, you're below ordinary, Deku!"_

Katsuki's voice echoed through Izuku's brain. He looked back at All Might who had the criminal over his shoulder. _'I need to know…'_

"Stand back young man, wouldn't want to blow you away by accident." It was then that Izuku made up his mind, he dropped the duffle bag and jumped towards the hero. Just as he wrapped his arms around All Might's leg, the boy felt his body jerk up as the hero started his leap. The teen felt the skin on his face pull back due to the speed they were going.

It didn't take long for the hero to notice something was off; the blonde male looked down to see the boy clutching his leg, "wait what are you doing young man!?" All Might shouted.

"You're my favorite superhero of all time, and I need to ask you something, mister All Might!"

The blonde male furrowed his eyebrows towards the boy. "Okay, hold on tight I don't want you to fall off, and finally close your mouth and eyes, your face is kinda freaking me out." The teen then followed the hero's instructions.

…

Izuku felt a hand grab his backpack and raised his body just slightly as he heard a crash as All Might landed on solid ground. The boy then let go of his role model's leg, "I feel like my life flashed before my eyes." The teen shook his head and found they were on the roof of a building of some kind; the hero then set down the criminal.

However, Izuku was still held up by All Might, "That was incredibly dangerous what you did back there. You could have gotten injured or worse."

"I'm sorry sir, but I need to…" The teen was then dropped off as they entered a door which led to a stairwell. "I'm sorry, but I need to carry on with my duty." The hero explained as he began to close the door behind him and set Izuku on the ground.

"But I…"

"There is no time!"

"Can I become a hero?!" the boy shouted this caused All Might to stop. Knowing he had the hero's attention he took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the teen continued, "it's just that ever since I was little I've always wanted to be a hero, and for a while, it was just a fantasy. Until I saw Tony Stark say he was Iron Man."

"When I saw him do that it helped kickstart my dream, and out of every superhero I've ever read, you always inspired me because when you would help people, you would do so with a smile on your face. And to me…that was the coolest thing ever, you helping other people is what started my drive, and all I have ever wanted to do was save people like you do. Everyone at school always makes fun of me for it, but I try not to let it bother me, that's why I need to ask you right here and now can I be a hero!"

He finished his statement and waited for an answer. "Can you become a hero?" The deep voice echoed as he heard only silence. Izuku waited for a moment, then he opened his eyes and then arched his eyebrows in confusion as some sort of steam around of him. However, that didn't bother the teen as he focused on the figure in the center.

But his wide green eyes that were originally filled with wonder and excitement quickly changed to shock and confusion. As the figure that stood before was now half the size of All Might, and all his muscles were now gone as a skeleton of a man with messy blonde hair stood before him.

"W-what, T-Toshinori!? What happened to All Might did he disappear somewhere...or are you an imposter!?"

The older male released a heavy sigh, "no, I'm not an imposter. I am All Migh-gah!" Before he could finish he let out a coughing fit which and Izuku noticed the blood on his hand.

"As I was saying, I am All Might."

"But how did you get…"

"To be the big guy, well think of like those fat guys who go to the pool or the beach, and they suck in their gut to make themselves look buff."

Izuku was speechless at what was before him, however to what seemed to be a surprised expression as the boy's expression returned to one of excitement. "So, you know how much this means to me." The boy stated as he looked expectantly at his role model.

However, he saw Toshinori's expression fall; he then let out a heavy sigh. "Here Izuku, let me show you something." The older male took the hem of his shirt to show him a scar beneath it.

"I got this from fighting a villain a few years back, to which I lost a part of my respiratory system and all of my stomach in the process. Normally, I would be able to heal from an injury from that, but the person who attacked me was far from normal." Izuku's eyes widened at the sight of the injury and the story behind it as Toshinori continued.

"Due to the state of my injury, I can only maintain my power for about three hours. And the thing about my smile is it's all a mask I put on."

Izuku's face changed from intrigued, to shock, and now to worry as the blonde male continued with his explanation.

"Because of what I do it makes me feel absolutely terrified. So, I use the smile to make everyone else feels safe, and to help with all of the burdens of being a hero comes with. So, when you asked me if you could be a hero…"

Izuku felt his throat tightening and his heart dropping to his stomach. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but to be a hero means you always have to put your life on the line, and as you are right now without any powers, you cannot become a hero."

The teen felt like he had been hit by a train, he felt tears well up around his eyes, _'this can't be happening!'_ His mind roared, but he knew in his heart what Toshinori was telling him was the truth.

"People like Stark are a very rare breed, but outside of that, you wouldn't stand a chance out there with powers to protect you. I'm sorry."

Izuku hung his head; he then felt a hand on his shoulder, "if you want to help people, I suggest you join the police. It may not be as glamorous as being a hero, but it is a noble profession none the less." The teen did not pay attention as he was completely zoned out.

"And Izuku, be sure to not tell your mother about this, okay?" The boy simply nodded and walked downstairs, with his head hung low.

…

As Izuku continued to walk aimlessly with his head hung low as he bumped into random people not even caring to give an apology, _'you knew this was where it was all heading to. You knew from the beginning that this was a hopeless dream. You knew that this was the only logical conclusion and that you were doomed from the start. This is what life has turned you into…someone who cannot accomplish anything.'_

The teen heard a loud crash and police sirens, the boy's curiosity got to him as he moved towards the source. He didn't even know why he was doing it his legs seemed to have taken him there as a large crowd as police acting as a barrier. They stood in front of an entrance to an alley filled with shops.

 _What could be happening?'_ He wondered to himself, but before anything else came to his mind, the teen was reminded of Toshinori's words. He tried to find a good view of what was going on as curiosity took over.

His eyes then widened as he saw a familiar black hair and facial scars. _'How could that be, he was taken out by All Might how is he standing?'_ Then he noticed the criminal's muscles seemed like they were the first time he saw them, and it all clicked for him _. 'He must've found a way to get his powers back, and that means…'_ The teen's mouth was now hanging open as he realized that if he hadn't taken so much of Toshinori's time, then he would have been able to take him to the police.

"It looks like he has a hostage."

"Really, that's awful!"

"Yeah, I think it looks like he has a teenager, poor kid."

Two bystanders explained to which Izuku felt mortified. _'I hope whoever is out there is okay.'_ The teen then got a better look as shouts erupted between the two parties.

"Release the civilian, and nobody has to get hurt!"

"I'll do you one better, how about you all go piss off somewhere else, or I'll snap this brat's neck!"

"Let me go you asshole!" A loud voice shouted Izuku felt his body freeze at the sound of the voice, _'no, that can't be!'_

Then he saw the familiar ash blonde spiky hair and light brown eyes that were wide with fear. Without thinking his legs started to move, but not toward the action, but around the side of the building.

 _'_ _What am I doing, why am I running?'_ His mind was trying to reason with his body to no avail, but then he started to remember where he was. _'Wait I've been chased by Kacchan around here before, there is an alley around this corner.'_

Just as he predicted an alley just wide enough for him to fit emerged, and there he saw both Katsuki and the criminal on the other side. With a plan in mind as he took his backpack off his shoulders and held it by the straps. Izuku then ran as fast as he could through the alley. As he reached the end, he pulled his arm back as he screamed at the top of his lungs, "LET GO OF HIM!" The teen then threw his bag at the criminal, and it crashed into his target's head, he then let his momentum carry him as slammed his body into the criminal's.

This caused his target to let go of Katsuki and using the opening to his advantage he grabbed the blonde's arm. "C'mon Kacchan!"

The bully's eyes were wide with shock, "What the hell are you doing here Deku!?" However, before Izuku could reply the criminal then grabbed Katsuki's other arm. Both the green-haired teen and the dark-haired male glared towards each other.

"Why do you keep getting in my way today!?"

Izuku simply ignored the man as he continued to pull. "Why are you helping me Deku?!" Katsuki yelled to which Izuku simply replied with a shaky smile, "because you looked like you needed help!" This caused the blonde then began to grit his teeth and join his peer in pulling against his captor.

However, it was to no avail as the criminal grinned at the two, but it quickly vanished as he felt a large force slam into his stomach. Both teens would have been knocked back by the impact, but something was keeping the two from flying away.

Izuku looked at the criminal who was on one knee as he threw up on the ground, he then looked up to see the familiar smiling face of All Might as little trickles of blood dripped from the corners of his mouth as he let out a low chuckle. "I told you a hero must always put his life on the line; I should practice what I preach!"

The criminal then stood back onto his face with a snarl towards the hero. "You got lucky last time, but now I'm going to show you pain!" But as he threw his punch, All Might casually intercept it as he caught the fist in his hand. A small shockwave erupted from the impact, but All Might didn't react to it.

"Is that all you can offer?" The larger male said to his opponent as he twisted the fist and forced him back to one knee. "Well, I guess it's my turn then, hold onto something young men!" He called out to both Katsuki and Izuku who both then grabbed a pole.

The hero then looked at the thug with his smile still on his face. "Now let's go on a ride shall we?" Before his opponent could respond, All Might then grabbed the man's shirt, and the two men flew up into the air. The force of the jump caused high-speed winds that spread across the area as both Izuku and Katsuki held onto the pole.

The two battling men then landed as a large crater appeared from the impact, and there stood All Might smiling as he rose up with the criminal now unconscious on the ground. "There is nothing to fear, for I am here!" The hero exclaimed, and Izuku couldn't help but smile from watching his idol standing before him.

…

Izuku was chastised by the police after what happened; they told him how much danger he put both him and Katsuki in and how he was lucky to survive that encounter. But Izuku simply nodded along as he let all of their words wash over him.

When the authorities finished their punishment, they let him go. He would have gone to apologize to Toshinori, but he left soon after the fight, probably due to not bringing too much attention to himself.

As he walked with a small smile on his face, he heard a voice call out to him. "Hey, Deku!"

The boy turned around to see Katsuki as he glared at the green-haired teen. "What happened back there, it doesn't mean I owe you shit, alright nerd! So, don't pull that kind of shit with me got it!"

Izuku nodded in agreement which caused the blonde to stuff his hands in his pockets and storm off in the opposite direction. The green-haired male simply shrugged his shoulders dismissing the weird interaction and proceeded to head home.

…

Izuku continued his walk back home, and he was currently texting his mother, who had spammed him texts wondering if he was okay. He told her that he was fine and spent most of the day with Toshinori and that he was going to be late due to some unexpected obstacles appeared.

The boy let a small smile appear on his face when she sent him her usual, 'I love you!', but now he felt a sense of closure. _'I guess I can close that chapter of my life, and maybe what Toshinori said earlier might not be such a bad idea.'_

As the teen let his thoughts wander, he was surprised as a large landed in front of him. "I have arrived!"

"Ahh!" The green-haired boy reeled back as the tall form of All Might standing before him. To which the muscular man dramatically pointed at the teen.

"I have been looking for you young Izuku! I would have come talked to you earlier, but in this day and age I have to keep a low profile, which I know is quite ironic based on that display earlier, but I digress."

The boy arched his eyebrows in confusion, but the hero continued. "You see I need to clear up something I said to you earlier…"

"I know I won't tell mom and I'll stay out of…"

"No, it's not that."

Now Izuku returned to the confused expression he had earlier. "You see what I wanted to tell you is-gah…" Before All Might could continue, he went into a coughing fit and reverted back to his smaller form, which still made Izuku cringe from seeing the giant difference between the two forms.

"Sorry, about that, it's what I get for staying that form for too long, but back to where I was. When you went after that thug who held that kid hostage why did you do it?" Izuku simply shrugged, "I don't know I…"

"Felt your legs moving, before you could have a chance to think," Toshinori stated to which Izuku started at him with wide eyes to which caused the older male to smile.

"It's interesting a small fanboy like yourself charged in there to save another person. Even if others hesitated, but you acted on your own. You know kid I've been in this profession for a long time, and I've seen a lot of different heroes come my way and do you know what the greatest ones would tell me when they first started out?"

Izuku was quickly realizing what the older male was trying to explain and he felt his throat once again tightening. "Now I wanted to take back what I said on the roof; I wanted to say that I was wrong."

Izuku felt tears starting to well up in his eyes as he squeezed his eyelids shut trying not to let them escape. "Izuku Midoriya, you can become a hero!" The boy let out a small whimper escape his lips.

"Not only that but you will be the next hero to inherit my power!" Izuku looked up at his mentor his face stained with tears and snot as he tilted his head to the side, "wait, what?"


	3. Ch 2: Leaping into Heroism

Months have gone by since Steve woke up. To be honest, the super soldier was expecting he would be doing some strange things. However, no one had told him he would be facing alien weapons, 'gods,' and the return of the cube that Hydra had used, or the Tesseract as everyone else called it.

Now, he was in Manhattan dealing with an alien invasion. Not exactly, what he had in mind for his first adventure since he woke up. But hey, it could be worse.

Steve was currently helping police guide a group of civilians into one of the subways entrances.

As the American icon stood on one of the myriads of cars as he noticed two of those Chitauri hovercraft was approaching the group.

After making a quick calculation in his mind, he grabbed the side of his shield and launched himself into the air and spun his body sideways in mid-air. With the combination of both his momentum and incredible strength, he was able to propel his shield ricocheting from a building and striking one of the Chitauri piloting one of the hovercrafts, which caused the vehicle to slam into the other beside it as they both crashed into a building.

Steve landed on his shoulder and rolled to the side and putting his right hand and both of his feet firmly on the ground. The super soldier quickly looked up to find his shield, once he noticed where the flying object was heading, he made a short leap on the air and caught his vibranium weapon.

Once he landed on the ground, he quickly looks around his blonde hair now matted, as his face had been exposed due to losing his helmet in a fight. As he scanned the area, he then heard a loud roar in front of him.

He watched as the flying monstrosity of a Chitauri ship snaked its way through the city block with its dark armor as it glinted from the sun. _'Damn, it must've gotten passed the others'_ , the thought passed through his mind as he focused on the creature.

"Deku, stop!" A female voice called out as a figure ran past him towards the monstrosity. A female figure had passed Steve, who quickly grabbed her arm.

The girl looked back at the American icon. She looked to be in her mid-teens, the girl dark brown, shoulder length hair whipped towards him her brown eyes now wide with panic.

"My friend, he's gone towards that thing. He's not making any sense; I couldn't stop him-" Steve quickly interrupted the panicked explanation. "Don't worry I'll get him; you need to get to safety."

Before she had a moment to protest, he caught the attention of the police officer and quickly pushed her towards them and chased after the figure, as he sprinted through the destroyed streets with a few civilians running the opposite direction.

It did not take long for him to catch up with the figure, "hey, get back to where it's safe!" The super soldier called out, but the figure didn't respond, then he noticed that the male figure in front of him had dark green messy hair. Steve quickly activated his earpiece, "everyone, we have a…" but before he could finish, the figure then started to emit green sparks of electricity around his legs, and he began to crouch mid-stride.

Before Steve could even react, a large gust of wind blew him back. The super soldier quickly raised his shield to defend himself from incoming debris. Once the wind around him died down, he was able to lower his shield. His eyes widened in complete and utter disbelief. Before him, he saw the behemoth being launched back towards where it came from as it landed face first into the ground causing a large crater and a shake in the earth as it's full body impacted the ground.

Steve looked up and noticed a figure falling from the air. Before he could gather his thoughts, the super soldier quickly took off his shield and flipped it upside down. He then hooks four of his finger around the inside of the vibranium disk with his thumb on the outside, Rogers then put all of his strength into his right arm and hurled, the now upside down, shield towards the figure.

Steve took off in a mad sprint as he watched the saucer fly true even though it was upside down, the shield caught the figure and landed on the Steve ran thoughts were flying through his head, how was he able to do that, that should not be able to do that, unless.

" **Hey Cap, what's with the silence, Chitauri got your tongue?** " Tony called out derailing the soldier's train of thought to which Rogers followed up. "Sorry, false alarm."

" **Great job Rogers, for wasting our time and making us all worried in the process, can we all go back to doing our jobs. Now excuse me while I go kill this flying snake monster.** "

Steve ignored the billionaire's jab as he spotted five Chitauri foot soldiers creating a sort of semi-circle around the green-haired figure. The super soldier then leaped towards the alien and jammed his knee into its side; he felt a crack from what he guessed were the bones in its body, as the force of the impact launched the alien a few feet back.

In the corner of Steve's eye, he noticed the Chitauri now seemed to have their focus, thankfully, on him now. The super soldier continued with his assault as bolts of energy flew past his head, as he landed another hit with a strike with his right elbow into the side of the alien's head and quickly threw a powerful jab into its torso, making the soldier double over, and ended the combo with him slamming his knee into its face producing.

Two more streaks of energy fly past Steve, as he felt a brief flash of pain as one of the energy bolts grazed his side. But, despite the pain, he was glad to have their attention on him rather than the helpless civilian on the ground.

"Here!" A small voice called out as the American icon felt something hit the side of his boot. The super soldier looked down to find his shield by his feet, however when his gaze turned to his enemies who have returned their attention towards the helpless figure on the ground. He quickly hit the side of the vibranium shield as Steve caught it with his left hand and before the Chitauri soldiers could react, he threw his shield towards one of them knocking the alien back.

The super soldier charged towards them as he quickly grabbed his returning shield with his right hand and quickly slid the metal disk onto his left arm in a practiced motion, the icon quickly raised his shield as another bolt of energy slammed into it, as he continued his push towards his enemies, and allowing their attention to be focused on him alone instead of the civilian on the ground.

Steve quickly lowered his shield as he threw out a quick kick just below its knee and a loud snap erupted as the foot soldier yelled out in pain as it fell onto its knee. The icon quickly followed it up by slamming his shield into the Chitauri's throat as he heard an audible crunch from the force of the impact.

The last of the Chitauri was slowly picking itself back up, to which Steve quickly responded as just as the alien got to his feet, the super soldier slammed his foot into its chest, launching it to a car behind it. He quickly rushed the alien again as the super soldier leaped in the air, and by using all of his strength slammed the vibranium disk into the alien's chest which caused a loud thud to erupt from the impact.

Once he noticed that all the Chitauri were no longer moving, he let out an audible sigh of relief as walked towards the figure laying on the ground.

Now that he didn't have any threats around him, he took notice of the figure on the ground. As he approached him, he noticed how small he looked. However, that thought would quickly go away as he looked at the civilian's limbs his right arm and both of his legs were bent in unnatural ways, and with his arm visible, Steve noticed that not only was the arm's unnatural shape but how his skin seemed to look like it had been burned.

Then the super soldier looked at the rest of the figure, and as he saw the familiar dark green hair and freckles that were on his face, it confirmed Steve's suspicions, the boy that now laid before him was Izuku Midoriya. The young male's eyes looked unfocused as his eyelids seemed to flitter open at times before closing them, his chest seemed to rise and fall slowly, and the only limb that did not have any damage was stretched out towards the direction which the shield hit his boot during the fight.

The American icon approached the unconscious teenager, as Steve reached out to grab the younger males arm he started to notice patches on his destroyed arm seemed to be returning to their original shade. The super soldier easily was able to pull the green haired boy over his shoulder and carried away from the battle that raged behind him.

As the older male slowly ran to keep the teenager resting on his shoulder, thoughts were rushing through his mind, _'how is he able to do this, why this kid of all people have a power like this?'_ But Steve shook it off as he continued, he also heard slight sounds of cracking emitting from the boy as Rogers felt young Midoriya's limbs slowly realigning themselves.

The super soldier heard a voice yell out to him, then a figure that looked to be a paramedic came towards him and offered to take the teen off his hands. So, Steve, now snapped out of his daze, gently handed over Izuku to the paramedic and returned towards the battlefield.

…

They had won. Steve, along with the other members of this newly formed team had been able to stop the Chitauri invasion, and now they had captured Loki.

Thor had flown taking his adopted brother to the Helicarrier to be put into a cell for the time being. "Well, now with goldilocks off to do his errand, how about we go to that shawarma place I mentioned earlier. Trust me you'll thank me later." Tony explained as he looked at everyone else, Natasha, and Clint.

"Sure, I'm fair game."

"God knows, I need a well-deserved break."

Then Bruce had stumbled back as he reverted from being the Hulk. As he stumbled towards the rest of the group, "y-yeah, I would like some too, I just need some time to think of some happy thoughts."

"That…sounds fun, but I have somethings I need to take care of."

"Well, if that's the case then there is an elevator right there you can take, I'll just you know, fly there and get my order first if you don't mind." The billionaire quickly stepped out and flew out of the building leaving the rest of them by themselves, "damnit I was going to ask him for a ride." Clint groaned as the four of them tried to get into the Stark tower elevator.

As the four of the quietly sat, Steve could not help but think back to seeing Izuku as the super soldier's eyes narrowed, 'whatever is happening to him I'm going to get some answers today.'

"Stop hurting him Kacchan!" A child with fluffy dark green hair as he stood in front of a crying child with his fists up. The green haired child's body quivered from fear as he looked at the three other boys who opposed him at a playground.

The leader of the trio had ash blonde spiky hair and pale skin; he narrowed his dark brown eyes towards the green haired child as a devilish smile spread across his face. "Oh, what are you going to do about it? Last time I checked this isn't a comic book Deku, and this is a fight you can't win."

Without any warning, the three boys pounced 'Deku' as they punched and kicked the young boy. One of the boys grabbed a fistful of green hair and forcefully pulled the young boy's head up, then 'Kacchan' raised his fist as he aimed a punch at Deku's face.

"Hey, what the hell is happening over here!" A deep voice called out towards the children which caused the boys to let go of the green haired child. The battered boy fell to the ground as his legs could no longer support his body. A large figure was now over him, his messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes scanned worriedly over his body.

"Hey, hey, hey, stay with me kid!"

...

Izuku groaned as he slowly woke up from his slumber. The teen's eyes slowly opened his eyes as his ears started to hear quick high-pitched beeps beside his head.

As Izuku's eyes became more focused on his surroundings as he noticed the light blue curtains at the front of his vision, the boy looked to his side and found the source of the noise he heard before originating from a machine by his side. Along with the clean state of the area, and the bed he was currently lying on, Izuku deduced that he was probably in the hospital of some kind.

The teen then heard a small groan below him. The green haired boy's gaze lowered, and his eyes quickly widened at the sight before him.

A girl his age was sleeping at the side of his bed. She sat in a chair, and the girl was resting her head using her arms as a sort of pillow. The teen girl's dark brown hair was spread out in a mess over her arms, her cheeks had a permanent blush, and a small amount of drool dripping at the corner of her mouth.

A light blush appeared across his face, but it quickly disappeared as a small smile soon replaced it. The green haired teen slowly reached out towards the girl's shoulder to gently wake her up.

Ochako groaned as the brown-haired girl stretched her arms as she slowly opened her eyes. Izuku let out a small smile, which she immediately responded by embracing him. The boy's body seized up from the tight hug Ochako was giving the green-haired teen.

However, the moment didn't last as soon as the brown-haired girl let go of Izuku and socked his shoulder. The boy quickly grabbed his now aching arm, "Ow, what was that for!?"

"FOR BEING AN IDIOT!" Ochako exclaimed as Izuku recoiled from the response as he now saw her brown eyes begin to flood with tears. The brown-haired girl quickly wiped them out her eyes.

Ochako then furrowed her eyebrows, "Do you know how much you scared me!? You just got up and ran off, and even after that, I spent so much time looking for you Deku!" Who seemed to recoil back from the tone his best friend as Izuku almost felt like he was sweating bullets from the pressure she was giving him.

"I had to go almost everywhere, and if I hadn't found your name on the list for people that were hospitalized, I've spent hours wondering whether or not you were alive!"

"And when I got here the doctors said that you had broken the majority of your limbs when they found you, and I had to rush out to find you!"

The girl let out an audible sigh as she released the rest of her frustration. "But when they caught up with me they explained that you were fine and that it may have been overexaggerating your condition. But still!"

Izuku's face fell after hearing the girls explanation, "I'm sorry Ochako; I shouldn't have run off, especially when we needed each other. Heh, I guess that makes me a really bad friend doesn't it?"

Ochako's expressions softened towards Izuku as the brown-haired girl quickly took her friend into a tight hug. "No one had said that Deku, it's just when you ran off, I was so scared. I didn't want to lose my best friend."

The girl then returned to embraced Izuku who then returned the gesture with his own. Ochako his shoulder, which caused him to slightly squeeze the girl tighter. The teen couldn't help but feel warmth in his heart. Being with his best friend after everything that happened today reminded him of how grateful he was to have someone like Ochako around.

However, the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the moment for the trio. The two stopped their embrace to look at the source of the noise, and all the teen's eyes widen as well as their mouths dropped to the floor. There stood a man with a red, white, and blue uniform with a silver star on his chest.

Captain America stood there with the curtains half open with both nurses and doctors watched him from behind in shock. Steve Rodgers looked at the teens with an awkward expression, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was told that Izuku Midoriya would be here." The green haired teen's eyes became even wider as his mind quickly remembered the new male's face and everything seemed to snap into place.

Izuku slowly raised his hand, "that would be me." However, the boy knew that the American icon recognized the teen from when they had met months back as the two met each other's gaze.

Before Steve Rodgers could say anything Ochako slowly went up to him as she gave him a warm smile. "Um, I'm pretty sure a lot of people have told you this, but I want to say it now. But, thank you. Because of what you did today, you helped save a lot of people, including my friend."

The teen girl looked back at Izuku who let out a small smile towards his friend, who nodded and returned to look towards the super soldier, who simply nodded towards her. "Well, I am just doing my job miss, but I am grateful to help protect my home and the people who live in it."

He then let out a small sigh, "however, as much as I would like to chat with you some more, but if you two don't mind I would like to talk to mister Midoriya alone, please?"

The teen looked back towards Izuku, Ochako simply mouthed, _"what happened?"_ Izuku couldn't think of a good explanation, so he simply smiled sheepishly and shrugged his shoulder towards them.

"It probably won't take long; I just need to ask him some simple questions, you'll have him back before you know it."

The girl standing in front of the hospital both gave Izuku a concerned look, to which he responded with a small smile and a nod towards the super soldier, "sure I wouldn't mind, I'll be fine guys, I will meet you in the lobby when I'm finished."

Ochako looked unsure at first, but then she nodded as she trusted the green haired boy's decision. "Well, I'm glad we got all of that set out now would one of you get a doctor to get him out of bed please."

…

Both Izuku and Steve waited until the doctor came in to relieve the boy from the bed and unhooked him to the monitor on his bed side. The two then thanked the doctor as the two walked out the super soldier led the teen to a closed door labeled 'Janitors.' The icon narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the area.

"Um sir, why are we here?"

"Well I would like to speak to you in private, and this is most likely the closest we are going to get."

Steve stated as he quickly opened the door and revealed the closet within. The super soldier quietly gestured towards the small area inside. A wave of anxiety flooded through his body, he knew why the American icon wanted to talk to him. But the teen had little choice as he silently entered the closet.

The tall male followed the teen inside and slowly closed the door behind him. Steve then turned the light on revealing the contents of the closet. The closet was filled with different cleaning supplies with only a steel fold-up-chair on one side of the room.

Steve gestured towards the chair, the green haired teen slowly went to the chair and sat down. Captain America leaned on the opposite wall with his arms crossed as he gave the teenager with narrowed eyes.

Izuku started to fidget in his seat as he focused on every inch of the closet excluding the man in front of him. The smaller male felt the super soldier's stare burrowed into the boy's head, "so, umm what did you want to talk about." The green haired male asked nervously.

Seconds flew by as the boy's question remained unanswered, "y'know when I woke up, I didn't know how long it had been since I flew the plane in the ice. For me, it felt like I was asleep, as if minutes had passed until I woke up…"

The teen then looked at the American icon he noticed how he seemed to hang his head in a solemn expression. The super soldier then looked up at the teen with a serious look, "however, I like to say that I remember the events of what happened back then, so how did you get a hold of All Might's power?"

Izuku froze in his seat; his heart thundered through his chest as both he and Steve Rodgers locked eye contact. The teen simply cleared his throat, "w-what makes you say that? I mean I wish I had p-powers like All Might, but he's just a comic book character, fiction, made up by someone else, t-there's no way anyone could have powers like his!"

The teen quickly stammered, but he noticed that Steve wasn't buying his explanation as the super soldier raised an eyebrow. "Really then? Well, I've recently gotten into reading some of those comics, and it never said anything about All Might having the ability to heal himself?"

"W-well, it is never really known what he has, One for All is something that…" Izuku stooped mid-sentence as he clasps his hands over his mouth realizing his mistake. He looked at Steve who had a small grin on his face. "Huh, interesting, last time I checked in the comics, there is no name for All Might's power."

The smaller male dropped his hands from his mouth as his shoulders sagged. "Now, can we cut the crap and get straight to the point?"

Izuku nodded, to which Steve continued, "alright now, how do you have Toshinori's power? Is there some sort of formula like what I was given, or some sort of ritual, or…"

The American icon's eyes widen for a moment, and he then leaned closer toward the teen. "Are you Toshi's son?" To which Izuku reeled back from the question as he as the teen waved both of his hands frantically in front of him, "n-no, no, it's nothing like that! He gave me this power."

Steve raised an eyebrow towards the last part of the statement. "He gave it to you?" To which Izuku slowly nodded, the super soldier's expression became even more confused about which the teen sheepishly rubbed his neck.

"Well, he didn't just give it to me, but…gah, it's kind of a complicated." The teen explained, however, in response, the icon took one of the buckets in the closet and emptied its contents. He then flipped it upside down and sat on the flat side; then the super soldier gestured towards the boy.

"Well, we're here right now, and I do believe we both have the time. So, how were you given One for All?"

...

Minutes go by as Izuku explained what had happened from when Toshinori first captured the criminal to the moment he told the boy that he would inherit his power.

"So, Toshi said that you were worthy of inheriting One for All?"

Izuku simply nodded as he slowly scratched his head. "Yeah, he said that One for All wasn't originally his. That it was a power that could be passed down from person to person."

Steve then furrowed his eyebrows as he then rested his jaw in his right hand, and lowered his gaze. After a moment of silence, the super soldier then returned the teen's gaze.

"So, he then gave you One for All?"

Izuku responded by shaking his head. "No, he said my body wasn't ready to handle the immense power of One for All. He said it could 'blow off all of my limbs,' and so he would try to work on my body until I could be a proper vessel." The green-haired boy then let out a small smile as the memory came to him.

...

A couple of days had passed since the incident, and now Toshinori was driving out of the city. His mentor had told his mother that the two would be on a short bonding trip so that she wouldn't have to worry for her son.

They had reached the outside of the city and arrived towards a dirt road. Izuku's eyes widened as he saw the absolute mess around the area.

Toshinori Took note of the teen's expression, "yeah it's pretty bad, isn't it? This used to be a beautiful park until people started dumping their trash illegally. So, the owner had to close the park when no one helped clean it up, and nobody wanted to come after that."

The boy turned back towards the older man. "That sounds terrible, but why are we here?"

Izuku noticed Toshinori let out a small smile as his bright blue eyes let out a glint of mischief as he slowed the car down.

"We're here because you are going to clean all of this up." The older man explained as he stopped the car and exited from it.

The boy's eyes widen as he stumbled out of the car and looked at all of the junk around him.

"All of this! It's going to take forever to clean all of this up!"

"Actually, it would take you about a year by my calculations." Izuku quickly looked to Toshinori, who was now in his enlarged form, walk towards a fallen refrigerator. He easily turned the now useless appliance upright.

"You want to be a hero, don't you?" The large male's voice boomed to the boy, who quickly nodded.

"Yes sir, more than anything!"

"Well being a hero is more than stopping petty thieves and fighting villains!" Toshinori explained as he started to crush the fridge as if it were a soda can.

"Sometime heroes were people who would help their communities and try to make the world around them better for everyone!"

As he finished crushing the fridge, he revealed the view around the park as the sun brightly shone on the two figures. Izuku's eyes widened at the view as he saw the wide expanse of trees and a lake not far from them.

"That is what it means to be a hero! Now, to give you this!" All might said as he went to the car and pulled out a large stack of papers and handed it to the boy. On the front read, **The All-American Dream Plan!**

The hero leaned towards Izuku. "Now, I want you to follow this to the letter, this is made with your body in mind! So, you better not slack off on it alright!"

The boy nodded in acknowledgment to which the mentor smiled even wider, "good!" The mentor explained as he grabbed a long length of rope.

"Now, Daniel-san, lets train!"

...

"It took me months to get my body fit to house One for All," Izuku explained as Steve gave the boy an inquisitive stare.

"So, then he gave it to you, in some sort of power transfer or something like that?"

"Well yeah, something like that..." The boy looked a little squeamish as a chill down his spine. "In order for me to get One for All I had to have it break down in my DNA. So, I had to eat one his hairs." Izuku explained as he cringed at the last part.

Steve seemed to absorb all of that information that he had heard from the teen. The American icon then gave the teen an intense stare as his dark blue eyes scanned the boy.

"So, does that mean that the two of you have been training on how to use your power then?"

Izuku let out a sheepish chuckle as he slowly rubbed the back of his head and looked to the wall. "Well, the thing is I got my powers for about..." The teen then pulled out his phone to check the time. "Nine hours ago." Steve's eyebrows rose up, "you hadn't used them before then?"

The green-haired teen simply nodded, "originally Toshinori wanted to see how I would be able to handle One for All, but he wanted me to rest and let the power sink in before I used it. So, I hung out with my friends until..." The boy gestured towards the outside.

"So, why use it then? If you didn't know how to use it and you knew I was there...especially for the effect it had on your body." The super soldier gestured to his limbs. Izuku slowly clenched his fist as his expression changed from nervousness to entirely serious. "Because a hero must always put their life on the line if it is to help others." He stated in a matter of fact tone. Recent memories resurface during the whole event.

...

Izuku let out a heavy cough as he slowly picked himself from the ground. The boy shook his head to let the dust fall from his hair as he slowly looked around.

It was complete chaos as people were running all around the teen. He saw some of them were stuck in a large pile of rubble at his sides while police and some random citizens releasing those who were trapped.

Izuku's eyes widened when he saw the familiar figure of Ochako with her leg pinned by some rubble. Izuku quickly returned to his feet and sprinted towards his friend.

The girl looked at him with wide brown eyes as her rapid breathing was visibly noticeable.

"Deku, I-I can't get out! I don't know what..." she stopped the green-haired teen grabbed her hand as he made sure to meet his best friend's dark brown eyes. "It's going to be okay. I can get you out of this, and we'll try to find a way out of this, okay?"

The girl nodded at her friend's explanation. Izuku quickly scanned the rubble for any part that he could be able to lift without hurting his friend. He quickly found a spot as he quickly went up to it and looked back towards Ochako.

"Okay, I'm going to lift this, as soon as you're free to move out of there as fast as you can. Can you do that?"

The girl nodded again to which Izuku grabbed the piece of debris, "okay we're going on three. Ready...one, two, three!" The boy gritted his teeth as he pulled the rubble with all of his might. Once he was able to move it just a little, the male saw his best friend quickly pull herself out of it. To which Izuku let go as soon as he saw that she was clear.

Izuku moved quickly returned to the girl's side. She held a thumbs up claiming she was okay. However, it did not stop Izuku from helping her up, once the boy saw that she didn't appear too injured he quickly scanned the area around the two.

The friends then joined the large crowd as they were guided by multiple police officers calling out orders to both civilians and other officers.

But as they followed the crowd until an explosion erupted near them as the two teens saw a man wearing a red, white, and blue uniform as he caught a disk with similar colors, the two's eyes widened in amazement at the sight.

"That's Captain America!" She called out, both friends' manner changed from panicked and fearful to one filled with relief and hope. However, before Izuku heard the thundering echo of a roar ahead of them. Out slithered a massive behemoth, its long snake-like body moved effortlessly as part of its body tore through a building and heading straight towards them as its dark armor glittered ominously from the sun.

Then everything slowed down. Izuku's mind moved quickly, _'that thing is heading our way. And based on how it easily took out a large part of that building its body must be incredibly durable. If it heads this way, it will hurt a lot of people, if it goes through one of those buildings it could cause people to be trapped.'_

The boy then turned to look at the American icon, _'While Captain America is here, he doesn't have anything that can damage anything of that size. There might be stronger heroes in the area, but I don't know how long it will take for them to reach it.'_

"Deku what are you doing we need to get out of here!" Ochako exclaimed as she pulled his arm.

"I need to help."

"Wait, what!" She gave him a confused look. With his mind made up, he quickly turned to Ochako. "Go, I'll meet up with you later!" He explained as he quickly escaped the girl's grip.

The brown-haired girl tried to reach for her friend but to no avail. "Deku wait, DEKU STOP!" She screamed, but he continued onward at a full sprint towards the massive serpent.

The boy recalled when he asked how to summon One for All in case he needed to.

 _"Well, for now since you don't quite understand its full power I would suggest you'd use it only for emergencies."_

 _"But if you needed to summon it, listen to my words."_

Izuku then began to crouch mid-stride as he saw sparks of green electricity around him. _"Clench up your butt!"_ The felt himself flying through the air towards his target. _"And let your heart cry out..."_

 _'SMASH!'_ He roared in his mind as he slammed his right fist into the monster's head. Even with its size and armor, Izuku felt like he was punching a pillow as he heard a loud crack and the flying serpent was sent crashing down onto the street below.

Now Izuku was falling, and then the boy realized something. With one look at his arm, he noticed it flapping as if it were a flag and he could no longer feel his legs. _'Oh crap! Did I do it wrong?'_ He thought as the ground quickly approached him. _'Okay think, I need to decelerate myself for me to survive the fall, but how do slow myself down.'_

Then it clicked, _'I can use another one of those punches, but I can use my left arm. But I need to time it just right so that I don't die. I might lose use for all of my limbs in the process, but I need to take the risk.'_

Just as the boy readied his arm, he was then caught by something under his body as his arm helped stop the object from flying away. Izuku fell towards the ground and he sled across the street.

The teen groaned as he looked to see what had caught him. To his surprise, Izuku saw it was a large disc of some sort.

However, before Izuku could try to figure out what had just happened, loud, unclear voices not far from him. As he looked up his eyes widened at what stood before him, four grey-skinned beings with gold looking armor as they scanned the area with their weapons that look like they came out of a bad sci-fi movie.

This was Izuku's first time seeing who was behind the attack, and now his heart pounding against his chest. The boy's green eyes moved frantically throughout the area.

 _'Crap, what should I do? I can't crawl anywhere with one arm, and if I try to use One for All again, I don't know if I can survive the blowback from it along with losing the use of my only arm. Maybe I should play dead maybe that will let them avoid me.'_

The teen made the rest of his body go limp. Then he heard the voices get louder, the boy looked up and saw the strange figures have their weapons focused on him. _'Or I'll just die.'_

Izuku then used his one working arm to cover his head as he apologized to Ochako, Toshinori, and his mother. However, a loud inhuman scream erupted not far from him.

The green-haired teen lowered his arm, and he saw the familiar figure wearing a red, white, and blue uniform. As he noticed one of the creatures had already fallen while another was currently being wailed on by Captain America.

With that, it all clicked in his mind as what was under him. _'If I can't help him fight those things then I might as well give him a better chance at winning.'_

Izuku then used his one working arm to push himself off of the shield; the then grabbed the shield. The boy looked up and saw the American icon finish the creature.

"Here!" The boy weakly called out as slid the shield towards the icon. Then darkness started to cloud his vision as his mind couldn't handle the pain any longer.

...

Both Izuku and Steve stared at each other as the two refused to break eye contact. The man then reached out and grabbed the younger male's shoulder. Steve's face had become a stern expression as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"I will not condone what you did back there. What you did was incredibly dangerous, and it caused you to destroy three of your limbs in the process. And if I hadn't been there you could have died; if not from the fall, then probably those aliens would have done it." Izuku shrunk back from the criticism as he now averted his gaze from the icon.

"But..."

The boy then looked back up to be greeted by a small smile on the super soldier's face now. "If it weren't for that, a lot of innocent people would have died." Izuku's eyes widened as he heard those words. "And I believe that Toshinori would be proud of you and what you did today."

The teen let out a shaky smile, "Thank you, sir." But the moment was ruined as the door for the small room opened revealing a man who wore a janitor's uniform and had shoulder length dark brown hair. But what surprised the two was that he wore a dark mask that covered both his nose and lower part of his face as well a set of googles that were over his eyes. Both Izuku and Steve gave a confused look towards the man as he let out a heavy sigh.

"Look, today aliens came out of the sky, and you are basically wearing the American flag...I am probably the least weird thing either of you have seen today. Now, can you guys please get out of here, I need get some stuff for my job."

The two both nodded and quickly left the room and feeling that their conversation was over Izuku turned to return with his friends. But he felt a hand on his shoulder; the boy turned towards the source to see Steve's face.

"We'll continue this another time, but be careful out there and be sure not to tell this to anyone, understand?"

The boy simply nodded, and the blonde male found it sufficient enough as the two separated.


	4. Ch 3: To Pass the Torch

Toshinori skidded into the alley, as he stopped he turned his enlarged body towards the entrance towards the passageway. As the hero scanned it to be sure no one had come to find the source of the impact, once the blonde decided he was safe he then returned to his smaller form.

As he looked back towards where he impacted Toshinori cringed at the damage he caused to the concrete. 'Welp, I guess there is going to do some more construction here again.' Toshinori thought to himself as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. He then walked out of the alley as the hero took out his phone.

Toshinori had texted Izuku if he had been alright from the invasion, since the teen told the older male that he would be with his friends today, to which the boy would give him a long reply which could be summarized to 'I'm fine, but we need to talk later.'

The hero had been patrolling the area until he saw the blue pillar towards the sky near Midtown East. Toshinori quickly went towards the beam as he then saw the hole open as small flying objects escaping the hole, as well as those objects, were causing explosions which caused the hero to quicken his pace.

However, when he got closer towards the source and saw more objects and large creatures coming out of the hole, but before Toshinori could try and attempt to attack these invaders, he noticed human-like figures flying trough the air dispatching the flying objects with ease.

The hero didn't want to get in their way, so he decided to help out evacuating the area and helping those who were trapped as well. Toshinori tried to keep a low profile, but he wouldn't be surprised if some random person took a picture of him. 'Fury is probably going to give me an earful if he finds out I have been using my powers out in public.'

Once Toshinori reached his shop he pulled out his keys to unlock the front door. The man was greeted by the cornucopia of comics and board games in front of him. He let out a heavy sigh as Toshinori closed and locked the door behind him. The older male slowly walked through his store, as he moved upstairs towards his living area. But the man stopped as he noticed a small frame sat by his workbench, the blonde walked up to the picture and slowly picked up the object.

The photo showed a young Izuku as well as a younger, skinnier Inko who held her child in her arms. Behind the two was the banner for the New York City Comic Con as the young boy wore an All Might hoody as the child beamed with excitement, while Inko just simply smiled at her son with soft green eyes. The blonde couldn't help but let out a wide grin at the photo as it brought back memories.

…

Toshinori had recently gotten back to New York from his most recent mission as Fury had given him leave until further notice. The blonde male let out a heavy sigh, he had been dealing with one of the more recent enhanced from Japan, and to put it mildly, he was a hot head, both figuratively and literally. As much as Toshinori was annoyed by the recent addition to his team, but he tried his best to work with the hot head.

However, Toshinori's train of thought was interrupted as heard small cry of pain not far from where he was walking. The male stopped in his tracks as he turned to see two young children holding a boy with messy green haired back a spiky blonde child raised his fist towards the smaller boy. "Hey, what the hell is happening over here!" He yelled out as ran towards the fight that had broken out.

Once the children heard the man's shout, they scattered all except the green haired child, who fell back onto the ground. Toshinori swiftly reached the boy's side.

"Hey, hey, hey, stay with me kid!" The older man's eyes widened as he saw the multiple bruises that surrounded the boy's body. 'He looks no older than five' Toshinori thought to himself as he searched around the playground.

 _'I need to find this kid's parents.'_ The blonde male gently scooped up the child in his arms as he carried him.

As Toshinori held the boy, he moved to where he could see adults around the area. "Is this anyone's kid!" The blonde called out as he scanned the area, some of the adults turned their heads toward the male, but none of them gave some sort of response. However, in his peripheral, he noticed two women one of them had ash blonde and sharp brown eyes, and the other had long green-haired similar to the boy in his arms.

As the two turned towards Toshinori, then the green-haired woman's eyes quickly changed from curiosity to horror as she noticed who was in the blonde man's arms. "IZUKU!" The woman yelled out as she ran out towards the child.

The man gently handed the child in his arms towards the mother; the older male noticed the ash-blonde woman narrowed her eyes as she narrowed her eyes and stormed off somewhere else. But Toshinori didn't keep his attention to the angered woman as he kept his attention on the mother. "Oh, my baby boy!" she sobbed as the green-haired woman rubbed her head against the child's.

Toshinori eyes widened at the two, his gaze then softened at the sight. "Hey" the woman turned towards the blonde male with tears trailing down her eyes.

"I have a first aid kit at my place." The male stated as he pointed his thumb towards the direction of his comic shop. "I can help you patch your boy up." The woman simply nodded, then Toshinori motioned to follow him.

Both adults quickly walked through the streets, as the two got closer to his shop Toshinori started to hear what sounded to be small whimpers coming from the child to which the mother quietly hushed him as she gently caressed the boy's head. As the blonde saw the shop, he quickly pulled out his keys and opened the door.

He let both mother and child inside, and he pointed towards the door of his apartment labeled 'Employees Only' on the front. "I have a couch upstairs; you can set your kid down there I can get the first aid kit." The mother simply nodded as she walked towards the door as the male went to find the kit. The male then stopped as he noticed the child who had been tightly clutching his mother's shirt the entire walk. But now the green-haired boy's grip now seemed somewhat relaxed, and his eyes seemed fixated on the books around the shop. Toshinori kept the mental note as he grabbed the first aid kit and quickly followed both mother and son upstairs.

As the male reached the top Toshinori saw the mother sat down on the couch with her son head lying on her lap. The woman looked towards the male who simply nodded as he went to the boy's side. The green-haired mother gently shook the boy, in response the child slowly pulled himself up and revealed the multiple bruises and scratches across his body. But what took the hero back was the sad green-eyes as the boy focused his gaze away from the two adults.

"I'm sorry for taking your time and…" However, before the mother could continue with the apology, Toshinori stopped her as the blonde waved his hand towards her. "It's fine ma'am; I'm just glad to help. Now, where does it hurt the most?"

The green-haired boy responded by touching his chest. Toshinori then looked to the mother, "can you get me an ice pack, there should be one in the freezer over there, it should be in a blue bag." The woman nodded, she gave her son a light kiss on his forehead before she made her way to the freezer.

Toshinori then opened the first aid kit and examined the boy's wounds. "So, your name is Izuku, right?" The blonde asked hoping to help start a conversation with the child, to which the boy didn't let out a verbal response, but he did give the man a slight nod. 'Okay, we're at least getting somewhere.' The hero thought as he continued.

"Well, it is a pleasure meeting you Izuku, my name is Toshinori. I am the owner of the fine comic shop downstairs!" The blonde male finished with a grandiose gesture, but the boy only looked at him with slight interest.

The man's shoulder sagged as he felt the somber aura coming from the child. "Now since we have been fully introduced to each other, I want to ask you something. You don't have to say anything you can nod, or do something. You know I saw what those kids did to you. So, be honest with me, were those boys back in the park picking on you?" The older male asked just loud enough for the mother to hear. The boy slowly shook his head, to which the Toshinori furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he his blue eyes focused on the mother who seemed to stop with her hand around the handle of the freezer.

The male returned his gaze to the boy. "Well, why were they beating you up?" Toshinori watched as the green-haired child shrugged, "Kacchan was hurting someone else. I tried to stop him, but…" The younger male stopped as he hung his head.

 _'So, he was trying to help someone else. Heh, sounds like something Steve would do.'_ The thought of his lost friend brought a small smile to the older male's face.

"Y'know I used to know somebody like you," Toshinori stated as he saw Izuku green eyes focused on the older man.

"He was a little guy, as wide as a blade of grass and just as tall. And every time some person was a jerk, he would stand up to them, which would usually turn into a fight. But unsurprisingly, he would lose every fight."

Izuku was now engrossed in Toshinori's tale. The mother returned with the ice as a small smile was present on her lips as she applied the pack to her son's chest. The boy winced, but it didn't deter his interest.

"What happened to him?"

"Well to put it simply he got bigger, he could pick me up and throw me without even breaking a sweat."

"Did he beat up the bullies who were mean to him?" Izuku asked the older male, who shook his head.

"No, he didn't beat them up, but he did something even better. You see there was someone much worse than those bullies who would beat him up because that person threatened everyone he cared for. So, he chose to protect those people from this individual, even those who bullied him. Want to know why?"

The green-haired child vigorously nodded to which Toshinori let out a wide smile. "Even with all of his new strength, he chose to be something better than just being stronger than everyone else. He chose to protect people with his strength rather than use it for himself."

"Woah, he sounds so cool!" The boy exclaimed as the timid aura Izuku once had was now gone as he listened to Toshinori's tale, something that the mother seemed to take notice as her warm green eyes towards her son. However, the moment was disrupted as a loud ringing noise erupted from the woman's bag.

The mother's cheeks burned red in embarrassment as she quickly fumbled through her bag as she pulled out her phone. "I'm so sorry, it's my friend do you mind watching him?" Toshinori shook his head, "I don't mind miss…"

"Inko, Inko Midoryia" The older man's eyes widened for a brief moment, but he quickly replaced it with a kind grin. "Toshinori Yagi, it's a pleasure to meet you." Inko nodded as she put the phone to her ear and went downstairs, "sorry Mitsuki…"

Now, both Toshinori and Izuku sat alone. "Well, I noticed you've take an interest in my shop downstairs, I guess you like comics, do you?" The boy nodded as he was now comfortable in the older man's presence.

"So, do you have a favorite hero?"

"Yeah, my favorite is All Might!"

"Really, is it because of his amazing strength?" Toshinori asked as he jokingly flexed his muscles, but to his surprise, the green-haired boy shook his head. "Nope, it's because he saves so many people! A-and he does it with a smile on his face! One day I'll be just like him!"

 _'This kid, heh, he really is something._ ' The blonde male thought as a content smile, as he held out a finger. "Give me a moment I think I might have something you may like."

The boy's eyes widened with excitement as he heard the statement. Toshinori went to his room and took out four different comics and returned to the boy. The older male kneeled down to the boy and handed him the comics.

"Here we have the first three original issues of the **'All Might'** comics and my personal favorite." To which he showed the final comic with All Might fighting side by side the American icon, Captain America.

Izuku's eyes grew even wider as they were the size of dinner plates as he held the multiple issues in his hands. The child looked at the blonde with a wide smile. "Thank you mister Toshinori!"

…

The hero lets out a heavy sigh as he set the photo back onto the desk. Toshinori then started to walk towards the fridge when he heard a loud knock downstairs. The older man raised an eyebrow as he quickly pulled out his phone, to check on the cameras for the source.

However, the blonde's shoulders relaxed as he saw who was at the door. There stood Steve Rodgers all dirty and with his iconic shield strapped onto his back as he held what looked to be a to-go box in his hands. Toshinori grinned as he walked downstairs to his shop, as he reached the door.

Once the taller blonde unlocked and pulled the door open, Toshinori then held it open. "So, I saw you had a little party out in Midtown." The taller male stated as he gestured towards where the failed alien invasion took place. The American icon let out a small chuckle as Steve turned towards that direction. "Yeah, it was pretty crazy there for a little, but I think I helped get it under control."

Toshinori's grin grew even wider at the comment, and he pointed to the box in Steve's hand.

"Whatcha got there?"

"This, it's shawarma, Stark recommended a place and well…I needed the break. But, while I was there, I thought I'd get you some."

Toshinori cleared the path into his shop as the icon handed the taller blonde as the two friends went upstairs. The hero then stopped Steve from continuing.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but you are filthy. And to be honest with you I'd rather not get my couch all dirty, because it's a bitch to clean. So, I'll get you something to sit."

The super soldier nodded, to which Toshinori took a wooden chair from a dining table and quickly set it down in the living room. The two men then sat down as Toshinori opened the to-go box and took a small bite of the shawarma that resided within it.

The hero let out a surprised grunt as he looked up at Steve, "I'm surprised you're here, with the whole invasion thing, I expected Fury to make you write some kind of mission report asap?"

Toshinori asked as he took another bite from the wrap.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if he does, but I felt like I needed to talk to you first." To which the taller blonde put a hand over his heart and gave a playful grin. "Aww, you're making me blush Captain!" The super soldier simply rolled his eyes, "stuff it Toshi." Which made the hero let out a chuckle.

"But in all seriousness, I need you to explain something to me."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why did you not tell me that you could transfer One for All?"

Toshinori's eyes widened for a brief moment before his shoulders sagged, "did Izuku tell you about that?" To which the American icon nodded. The taller blonde let out a heavy sigh.

"Y'know I'm surprised the kid hasn't been able to tell anyone for as long as he did."

"Well to be fair if he didn't take down an alien creature the length of the Empire State Building in one hit, I wouldn't have been able to put two and two together."

Toshinori's eyes widened, "he was able to use it?" To which his friend nodded. "But then again, he did have some…complications after he used it. However, he should tell you about it later, but you still haven't answered my question."

The hero let out a heavy sigh. "Well, to be honest, you never really asked, and I didn't want you to anyway. But when I look back, I start to feel like it was one of my many regrets I had when…y'know."

Toshinori lowered his gaze as he focused on the floor beneath his feet, his food is forgotten. The taller male mentally slapped himself, even with his friend out of the ice he still hadn't told him about that side of One for All. Something so important, and yet he didn't even think of telling the one person he had known since before his prime.

"So, who held One for All before you?" Toshinori looked back up at Steve, his friend's original serious expression softened. The taller male grinned as he pulled out his wallet and took out an old folded up photo.

As he unfolded it to its full size, it revealed a black and white photo, which showed a younger Toshinori in his late teens with a wide smile, and beside him were two adults.

One was a woman in her early thirties with dark with long shoulder hair with a large bun on her head, she had a dark sleeveless shirt which showed her muscular arms, she also wore a matching set of pants, with light boots and gloves, and over her shoulders was a light cape. She had a smile wider than the boy next to her.

The other was a man who seemed to be the same age as the woman; he had short hair, a black mask that covered his eyes, along with light suit with similar color gloves, boots, and cape. The man held a small grin as he his eyes were in mid-roll at the two individuals beside them.

Toshinori then handed the picture to Steve, "her name was Nana Shinimura." The super soldier took the photo in his hand, "who is the man." The taller male smile grew wide, "that is Sorahiko, or Gran Torino as he liked to be called, he helped teach me how to fight. Heh, yeah let's just say he scared the shit out of me for a long while after some of the beatdowns he gave me."

Steve let out a small chuckle as he handed the photo to Toshinori. "What happened to her?" The taller male's expression fell, "she died…actually half a year before I met you." He felt his chest tighten at the thought of his mentor. "Did he do that?" The taller male slowly nodded.

The two men fell silent to the point where it was deafening to both Steve and Toshinori. Finally, the super soldier finally broke the silence as he changed the subject. "So, why did you choose Izuku? I heard his side of the story, but I want to hear your reasoning."

The hero let out an audible sigh, "to be frank with you, Steve, I actually wanted to end One for All." This caused the American icon's eyes widened at the statement. To which the taller male frantically waved his hands. "No, it's not like I was going to kill myself or something like that. What I mean is that I didn't want to pass One for All down, since the whole point of it was to take him down."

"I still wanted to help people, but I just thought it was time to put One for All out to pasture. Since, well…it was originally meant to fight him, and with him gone, well there is no reason to continue it."

"But then Izuku came in…you should have seen him, Steve, especially when he saw me turn into this." The blonde gestured to his current lithe form.

"He was so…happy. I've known that kid since he was five and I knew the one thing he always wanted to be was a hero. But the thing was I didn't want that life for him." Toshinori's shoulders sagged to the point that his entire body seemed to bend over.

"This life is filled with so many dangers and the things I've seen…I don't want him ever to experience that. So, when I told him that he could never be a hero, I could see his heart shatter Steve."

"I destroyed his entire world, and all I did was remind myself that I was protecting him. But I don't think I ever convinced myself, and then I saw the damn perp escape. Then I followed him and then I saw he had a hostage. And there I was, powerless."

The hero grabbed his side where his injury resided. He remembered how he stood there while the person he captured had caused so much chaos, and now he couldn't transform to stop the thug. "I felt that I failed everybody around me and then out of nowhere this kid about half the bastard's height and no muscles at all came charging in."

 _"Let go of him!"_ Izuku's voice rang in his head. "It was then I saw a real hero in the making. In fact, he kinda reminded me of you, Steve. And now that I saw him, I could no longer say that what he wanted was impossible, and so I gave him my power, not to fight some sort of great evil. But to make a legacy where he can be a beacon of hope to everyone around him."

Toshinori stated as his eyes hardened towards his friends as his blue eyes burned with determination. "And you know what else he did?" The hero quickly got out of his seat and quickly searched the apartment. When he returned in the taller blonde's hands held a large stack of papers and dropped in front of the super soldier.

"That right there is his entire workout routine for an entire year, I made this with his body in mind, from every calorie that was put into his body to every foot he took on a run. This was meant to give him the best result possible in a certain time frame. And then he overworked himself."

"And after I yelled at him for his carelessness, y'know what he said to me? He told me he didn't want just to pass; he wanted to go beyond that and be the best that he could be and work as hard as he could for it! With that in mind, I made a new regiment for him to work on his body, and do you know what was even crazier?"

Toshinori let out a wide smile as the memory flashed through his head.

…

Toshinori was driving on his way to the park where he had been training Izuku. After being woken up way too early on multiple occasions, the older male had simply told the boy to take a cab over there and do some early workouts before his teacher would come in.

He stopped his car by the gate and slowly got out as he stretched his arms getting ready for today's training. However, as he looked over the horizon, Toshinori froze at the sight in front of him.

There stood a large pile of junk stacked neatly in the area where they were supposed to be for those who would pick up the trash, and on top stood a shirtless male form as he stood straight and faced the rising sun ahead. "AHHH!" Izuku roared triumphantly, and it all made sense Toshinori.

 _'He did it. He cleaned every part of this park, even outside of the areas I told him to clean.'_ The older male thought to himself, he wanted to say so much at that moment, but only one phrase came to mind. "Holy…SUPER CRAP!" Toshinori roared as he turned into his enlarged form.

All Might noticed Izuku wobbled slightly before he slipped and fell towards the ground. In an instant, the hero leaped and caught the young man in his arms, as Toshinori slid across the ground and stopped. The man looked at the boy in his arms, and his smile became even larger as the boy focused on him.

Izuku let out a weak smile towards his mentor, "all finished!" To which the hero nodded as he set the green-haired male down on solid ground, and after letting out a deep laugh, he gestured to the young man before. "You've changed so much, look!"

The older male pulled out his phone and showed a photo of Izuku from before they started their training, with his small spaghetti-like arms. Then he quickly showed the boy's reflection as his body had become more lean and muscular than ever.

"You now look like a proper vessel, worthy of One for All!" All Might stated, and the boy smiled as an excited glint appeared in his eyes, but Izuku's face soon fell as he looked down at the ground before him. "I feel like I've cheated."

Toshinori's eyes widened from the statement as tears seemed to fall from the boy's face. "It's just that with me being lucky to know you and being trained by you to wield such amazing power, but am I really just lucky, or do I even deserve it?"

Toshinori smile grew gentler as he shrunk down to his normal form. The older man rested a hand on Izuku's shoulder who looked up at his mentor with tears still falling from his eyes.

"Listen to well young man; there is a big difference between being born with a silver spoon in your mouth and working your butt off for it. And trust me young Izuku when I say you earned this power."

Toshinori stated as he rested his forehead against the boy's. The man then pulled his head back and ruffled Izuku's messy green hair. The teen chuckled as he looked back at the taller male smiling as more tears slid down his face.

"Now for the moment you've been waiting for." Toshinori loudly called out as he quickly changed into his enlarged form with the boy keeping eye contact. His usual smile now even wider than it was before, as he pulled one of his golden hairs out and handed it to the boy. "EAT THIS!"

The boy's raised his eyebrow as he looked up at the towering figure, "huh."

…

Toshinori then looked at Steve with a wide smile as the memory washed over him. "He did it all in nine months, something that should have taken him a year, and yet he finished with two months left to spare. So, while he may not look ideal, I will say he is the perfect person to inherit One for All."

The taller blonde stated as he puffed out his chest. The super soldier let out a small chuckle. "Yeah I got that impression from him when I talked to him, and even if I did disagree with your choice, I know you would be too stubborn to change it anyways."

To which the blonde let out a playful grin, "I learned it from the best." To which Steve chuckled, "Hmph damn right you did. So, what's your plan now since he has powers?"

But this time Toshinori's grin turned to a more serious expression. "Well originally, I was going to teach him myself as Nana did to me, but if he had complications in using his powers for the first time, there lies a new problem. You see Steve when I first got One for All I was able to use it to its fullest, so I don't think I can be of much help teaching him since I don't know what he needs to do."

"But, I have a friend at SHIELD who works at its Enhanced Division."

"Enhanced?"

"People with powers like you and me. From what I've heard they just got a few recruits who are about Izuku's age, he at least needs to be around kids like him, and maybe they can help him learn how to control One for All."

It was at this point that Steve got up from his chair, and the super soldier rested his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Well since I'm heading to Fury in a little while so I can help expedite the process if you want and I'll help you train him."

To which Toshinori grinned as he mimicked the super soldier's gesture, "Thanks, Steve." To which the American icon nodded as both men let go of each other and Steve took his shield and left the building.

Izuku rapidly tapped his foot against the sidewalk as he stood in front of the Hall of Comics. After the two left the hospital, Ochako had peppered him with questions about what Captain America talked to him about. To which the boy lied to them telling his friend that he was giving him a lecture about his personal safety.

He always hated lying to Ochako, if it weren't for the promise he made to Toshinori not to tell anyone. But the two seemed to believe his lie, and they did not seem to question it.

As both Izuku and Ochako walked to their home when the two reached the green-haired teen's apartment the two teens quickly jumped back as Izuku's mother embraced both of the teens as she cried out.

Izuku's mother quickly took the two inside and had them sit in the living room as she called the girl's parents. Once she had returned, and she then asked about what had happened, to Izuku's surprise, his friend didn't even mention his brief trip to the hospital nor the fact that he talked to Captain America. But he wasn't going to complain the boy didn't want to continue with his lies and felt he needed to take a break from the pressure.

However, they would be interrupted with a loud knock at the door and as the boy's mother went up to the door. The two focused on the entrance as the woman opened the door to reveal a middle-age couple which caused Ochako to bolt out towards the adults. "Mom, Dad!"

The parents quickly embraced the girl as they held tightly onto each other. The two adults thanked Izuku's mother for telling them about where Ochako was. Then the family said their goodbyes and left the Midoriya's home.

Not long after the Uraraka's departure he then took it upon himself to head back to Toshinori's, explaining to his mother that he wanted to check up on him just in case, and when she agreed on the green-haired teen quickly bolted out before she could say another word.

Now here he was, as the boy's green eyes scanned every inch around him hoping no one had been watching him. Until the teen noticed the familiar tall, blonde male heading towards the door, once the door opened to reveal his mentor's face he quickly let himself inside the shop.

"So, I guess your free time with your friends didn't exactly go like you planned." To which the teen nodded as he lowered his gaze from the older male, "yeah, but that isn't why I'm here right now…Toshinori, I- "

"You used One for All during the attack." Izuku's mouth dropped as quickly looked up to Toshinori as the older male sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, Steve came here about half an hour ago, he told me what had happened." The teen's shoulders dropped as his gaze focused away from his mentor.

The boy heard an audible sigh from the older male, and Izuku then felt an arm around his shoulders. As Izuku looked up to see the older male smiled, "c'mon young man lets go upstairs for a bit, and we'll talk more about it, okay?" The teen simply nodded as the two went upstairs, as they sat in the living room as they sat across from each other.

"So, what happened, when you used One for All? Steve told me you had some sort of complication." The boy the rubbed his right arm as his mentor ended his question. "Well, when I used it, I ended up breaking my arm and both of my legs. And we'll...If it weren't for Captain America, I would have either been a pancake on the ground or breaking my other arm and possibly killed by aliens. And I never thought I would say all of that at the same time."

Izuku stated as the boy saw his mentor expression became more inquisitive as the older man rubbed his chin. "Hmm, well that is interesting."

"Did something like this happen to you?"

"No, actually I was able to control it on my first try."

Izuku's eyes widened as he heard that statement, "however for your case, it could be that we might have rushed your development or something else that we might have overlooked altogether." The boy's expression fell, "I'm sorry sir."

"Now why are you sorry?" The mentor asked as he gave the teen a puzzled look, "it's just that I can't fully use One for All. Not like you can, I feel like I've…"

But before the green-haired boy could continue, he felt a hand on his shoulder, as Izuku looked into Toshinori's bright blue eyes. The older man let out a reassuring smile to Izuku, "you don't need to worry about that young man. To be honest with you this whole thing is new to both of us, so don't try to beat yourself up over this, alright?" The teen nodded, "good like I said we'll get through this together. Now, if we're going to find a way to control this you'll have to find a way to understand. So, tell me what did it feel like?"

"I don't know when I used it, it was like a 'fwosh' or 'bam,' I can't say that I…" Then Izuku's green eyes widened as if a light bulb had turned on in his head. "It was putting an egg in a microwave!" This caused the older man to burst out laughing much to his apprentice's confusion, "leave it to you to think of something so plain and yet incredibly unique!"

As Toshinori caught his breath, he smiled at the boy, "well keep that in mind, so that whenever you use One for All, just think of it as if you're shortening the cooking time, or just reducing the microwave's power. Something that can help you control the power, got it?" The boy nodded again, "Yes sir!"

"Good, now there is one more thing I need to tell you. Back at SHIELD, there is an enhanced division, people with powers like us, and just recently they made a team with kids around your age."

"And while I originally was going to try to pull a couple of strings to get you in, Steve said that he could find a way to put in a good word for you. I'm hoping you would be around kids the same age as you would help find easier ways to control your powers and who knows you could make some good allies, which, trust me, will be essential in your journey."

Excitement flooded Izuku's body at Toshinori's words, 'this is happening, it's really happening!' Everything he could have hoped for was coming his way. Now, the blonde stood up to which the teen quickly followed suit. "How about you call your mom and try to meet up with her?"

"Sure! Oh, is there a place you want to go to?"

"Yeah, actually have you ever heard of shawarma? I had some not long ago, and now I really want to get some more, you think you can find a place that sells them?"


	5. Ch 4: The Trial of the Legacy

A/N: Hey everybody, I want to address this now I know for some of you who have read this story saw that both this and the last chapter ended up looking the same and that is entirely my fault, as I have not posted on this website before and it is all still new to me and I hope that you can forgive me for this inconvienence. So, with that out of the way, I hope you all have a good time reading this story!

* * *

Chaos erupted in the hallway as the bell had rung throughout the building signaling the end of the day. Izuku went his way to his locker to put up his books, however, despite his movement, his eyes were blank as thoughts rushed through his mind. It had been a few days since he met Captain America, but he and Toshinori still haven't heard news from the American icon.

His mentor would tell Izuku that these things took time and that they would both have to be patient. But that didn't make the teen any less anxious, as the silence had started to become more and more deafening. Izuku would be lying if he said that doubt hasn't tried to creep in to his mind, thoughts of whether or not those who may have seen his profile, because of course, they could have his profile since S.H.I.E.L.D is a world-wide defense organization, they probably threw it out of the window just with one look at his picture.S

A hand waved in front of his face, "hey are you okay Deku?" A familiar voice asked to which Izuku's eyes rapidly blinked and looked back towards the source to find Ochako with her head tilted to the side as her concerned expression had fallen entirely to reveal a warm smile.

Izuku tried to look away as he felt his heart clench at from the pure warmth she gave off, however, mid-turn he ended up slamming his face into the locker door. "Pffft, are you okay?" Ochako asked as she held in her laughter, as Izuku rubbed his head as the teen let out a sheepish laugh. "Yeah just damaged more of my non-existent dignity."

 _'Why does she have to be like the sun, so bright and warm'_ Izuku thought to himself as he tried to hide his embarrassment from his friend, but Ochako didn't seem to notice as she simply smiled as she lightly punched his shoulder, "c'mon don't beat yourself up. Now, to change the subject, are you ready to play Forty-Kay!" Izuku's green eyes let a glint of excitement at the mention the game. "Yeah, did you decide on what your army comp?"

Ever since the two were kids they both loved board games, and they had played a myriad of genres with classics like _Monopoly_ and _Settlers of Catan_ , but one they had been playing more often and one Izuku had favored above the rest, _Warhammer 40k_.

"Uh-huh, and this time I will end your winning streak once and for all!" Ochako declared as she pumped her fists in the air, which caused Izuku to chuckle as he closed his locker. "You said that last time Ochako." The boy stated as the two began their walk out of the building as they made their way through the crowd. "Yeah, but this time I've got a good counter for whatever you bring out today, so unlike the rest of our games I will stand victorious!"

"You win some games." Izuku interjected to which his friend quickly countered, "yeah, but every time that I have won, you were rolling terribly. But even in those games, it was still really close, so I want to beat you with my own strategies rather than luck."

"Well, we'll-gah!" Izuku called out as he felt something slam into his side, and he immediately felt Ochako at his side, "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Fu-watch where you're goin…"

Both Izuku and Ochako froze as they heard the familiar angered tone. There stood Katsuki Bakugo as he came to the same realization as the two teens. The green-haired teen eyes widened at the sight of his childhood bully, while the girl's brown eyes became like daggers as she glared towards the blonde.

Katsuki's face turned into what could be a snarl, but to the friends' surprise, the blonde merely grunted as he walked away from the two. Ever since their encounter with the criminal about ten months ago, Katsuki had ceased his tormenting of Izuku as the blonde seemed to avoid his former victim. But that didn't stop Ochako to continue her glare towards the bully's direction until the blonde was out of sight.

"What's his deal?" The girl asked to which Izuku simply shrugged, "I don't really know." While it wasn't exactly the truth, it wasn't necessarily a lie either, even after the whole hostage situation but Izuku didn't quite understand why Katsuki pulled a complete one-eighty in his interaction with the green haired teen. However, Ochako just shook her head and smiled back at Izuku. "Hey Deku, can you remind me what the special attributes my captain gives my army?"

"Oh, right, right." Izuku started his explanation as the girl changed the subject. However, it still didn't stop the boy's thoughts wandering out towards the bully's odd behavior, but Izuku still tried to keep up the conversation with Ochako as the green-haired teen tried his best to store his thoughts to the back of his brain for another time.

Both teens continue to talk about their game as they exited the building. "I never understood why out of all of the damage types in the game why is it with plasma if I roll a one that I end up losing one of my soldiers? It just seems kind of unfair at times." Ochako wondered aloud which prompted Izuku to put his hand on his chin.

"Well, I guess you could base that from the fact as balancing since it is one of the strongest damage types in the entire game and so to make it up they…" Then the brown-haired girl smiled as Izuku began his usual ramblings. "Deku, you're rambling again."

But her words did not seem to faze him as he continued. "They also brought in a unique way to put its reasons in the lore, as it…" Ochako rolled her eyes, but her expression quickly changed from amusement to confusion.

The girl then shook her friend, "Deku, hey!" Ochako called out which snapped the boy out of his trance, "oh sorry, I guess I went on autopilot there for a second, what's up." He looked back at his friend as the green-haired teen mimicked Ochako's confused expression. The brown-haired then pointed her thumb out towards something.

"Did Toshinori say that he was picking you up?" The girl asked to which Izuku raised an eyebrow, "whh…" The boy's eyes widen as he followed where the girl was pointing and found a familiar form of Toshinori as he stood by his car and the blonde waved to Izuku once he noticed the teen's attention. "Whhhy, yes, haha I must've forgotten, we can just reschedule this some other time. So, uh, Igottagoseeyoulaterbye!" Izuku exclaimed before he sprinted off towards his mentor's car before Ochako could have the chance to reply.

Izuku quickly dove towards the car as he slammed the door shut behind him. The teen heard an amused chuckle as Toshinori entered the car, "heh, I was going to meet up with you first, but it seems that you beat me to the punch." As the older male as he pulled his car out of parking and onto the road. The teen did not respond to the blonde's joke as once the boy was able to catch his breath and then he looked to his mentor with wide eyes. "Does this mean…"

"That SHIELD has responded." Toshinori finished Izuku's question, and as he let out a small smile, "young man, you got your shot." The boy's eyes widened as he let out a large smile as he pumped his fist, "YES! But, wait why didn't you text about this and tell me that you would come."

"Well, for two reasons." The older male held out a finger, "first, I didn't want to text you while you were at school and I'd rather you not get in trouble." Then Toshinori held up a second finger. "And second, I know you. If you saw that text, you would be completely out of it, and if your teachers didn't catch you with your phone, you would have gotten in trouble for not paying attention. Which is the last thing any of us need especially if they ask you why you weren't paying attention, and to be an honest young man, while I do like you, you're a terrible liar."

Izuku was about to argue against that last point until he realized his earlier screw up at the hospital with Captain America, so he simply let out a small chuckle as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But does this mean I get to be a part of the team?" The teen asked to which Toshinori shook his head.

"Not exactly, but from what Steve has told me he was able to get you into some sort of interview with the guy who is overseeing those other enhanced kids. So…" As Toshinori stopped the car at a street light as it turned red, the older man then looked towards Izuku and smiled as he pointed to the teen. "When we get there to give them everything, you got it, young man!"

The teen smiled as the boy nodded towards his mentor, Izuku felt the same excitement he had when Toshinori had given him One for All. But the moment was ruined as a loud honk erupted behind them, to which Toshinori quickly accelerated his car. But even after that Izuku could not stop smiling as he was getting so close to reaching his dream.

…

A half an hour after Toshinori had picked up Izuku from school after the two had their conversation they ended up sitting the car in silence with small bits of small talk in between, but both the teen and his mentor had seemed to have a lot on their minds as they left the chaotic city. Izuku could not help but allow his mind to create a whirlwind of thoughts.

 _'What will the interview be like? Will it be some sort of test of my intelligence, or will it turn out to be something more towards my physical abilities? What will my interviewer be like? Toshinori said that he was overlooking the team I'm going to be working with, and he also has powers, so what are they?'_ These questions plagued his mind as they drove to the point now he did not seem to be paying attention to where they were driving to.

But, his questions would be interrupted as the boy felt his mentor's hand shaking him from his thoughts. As Izuku had blinked back to reality as he turned towards the older male who had given the green-haired teen a smile, "We're here young man." As Toshinori gestured in front of him, Izuku looked out, and his eyes widened at the sight.

There stood a wide modern-like building that looked to be five stories tall with what seemed to be a wall of glass covering the bottom two floors. On the left of the building was what seemed to be a large field with what looked to be an obstacle course as Izuku noticed figures out in the distance making their way through the route. Then on the right of the main building stood what looked to be a stadium of some kind that had a similar color to the structure to its side and the roof of it was domed shaped.

Then Izuku snapped out of his trance as a loud roar erupted above the car as a dark object flew past them, but as the object put more distance from the two the more detail, the teen could make out until the realization dawned on him. _'Those are Quinjets! I have only heard about these on documentaries on tee vee! I need to see what other advanced technologies they have. I know that Tony Stark owns super advanced tech, but I wonder if they have…"_

Once again Izuku had gone into his own trance as he opened the floodgates to his mind and let his imagination go wild, he hadn't even noticed Toshinori's wide grin as he noticed the teen's wide-eyed bewilderment. However, the teen's trance ended as he felt the vehicle abruptly stop,

Izuku shook his head as a new voice he hadn't recognized spoke out. "Hey Toshinori, it's been a while!" As the boy snapped back into reality, he looked towards the source of the voice and noticed that they were in front of a steel gate and now Toshinori had pulled down his window to talk to an older looking man at a guard booth.

The boy's mentor smiled, "Hey Stan, yeah it has, how's the wife and kids?" The guard smiled as he nodded, "well my kids have all left me, and my wife kicked me out of the house. So, overall it's been great." The guard looked to Izuku who sheepishly waved at the man. "Why is he here? Last time I checked today wasn't 'bring a kid to work day' or have I missed something?"

"Well, he is here for, well…you can say it's kind of classified." Toshinori kind of answered, but the guard didn't seem to press on as he let out a heavy sigh. "so, something that's above my pay grade as per usual. Whelp, nothing I can do about it, hope you two have a good day doing whatever it is." The man stated as he opened the gate in front of them, to which Toshinori gave the guard a quick salute before driving past the gate and into the parking lot.

Once the car was parked the two exited from the vehicle and walked towards the building; However, Toshinori seemed to almost pull Izuku along as the boy kept on entering into a trance and it wasn't until the older man put an arm around the boy's shoulder as the two continued to walk.

That was until they reached the front of the building with S.H.I.E.L.D's symbol standing proudly in front of them, below it, 'Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistic Division' Izuku stood there his eyes wide as saucers as he tried to comprehend where he was at, "It took you two long enough!" A familiar voice called out as Steve Rodgers walked out towards the two.

The teen looked towards the American icon as Izuku raised an eyebrow. The super soldier was wearing a different uniform from the last they had seen each other. Gone were the bright patriotic colors as they were replaced by a solid dark blue. With the only other colors being three silver horizontal lines with and a star in the center of his chest, red stripes on the sides of his legs, and the dark brown of his gloves, the straps around his shoulders, and boots.

But like the last time both Izuku and Rodgers had talked the man did not have his helmet, the American icon smiled towards the taller male. Toshinori let out his own smile as the two grabbed each other's forearm. "It's good to see you again Toshi."

The hero nodded, "yeah, you too buddy. But I've got to ask, what's with the new outfit? Last I saw you looked like the American flag threw up on you." The super soldier let out a small laugh as the two men let go of the other's arm.

"Yeah, well SHIELD wanted to me to wear something that wouldn't make me standout although I did use it to film some public service announcement not too long ago," Steve explained to which the taller blonde couldn't help but laugh. "I guess some things don't change, haha!" The super soldier rolled his eyes as he looked to Izuku.

"How are you feeling?" The American icon asked to which Izuku shyly rubbed the back of his head, "good I guess, to be honest, I'm just a little bit overwhelmed." Toshinori calmed down and looked to the teen as he grabbed the boy's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Hey, did you forget what I told you in the car earlier." Toshinori then grew to his enlarged form as All Might gave the boy his usual wide smile. "I'll say this until that big brain of yours can finally understand. You will succeed me and be better than I ever was."

"And if what Toshi has told me is true you deserve to be here." Steve chimed in as the boy's mentor looked back to his friend and looked back at Izuku with an 'I told you so' kind of look. But he found that teen was now beet red, "both All Might and Captain America giving me praise that's it, I'm either dead or in some kind of coma."

"Hey, hey, this is no time to be fanboying right now!" All Might exclaimed to which the boy frantically apologized, but the two quickly noticed that they were getting the unwanted attention of those passing by. Toshinori quickly returned to his normal size, "heh, sorry about that, nothing to see here. Steve, do you know where to go?" The taller blonde asked to which the super soldier nodded and led them to their destination.

As the tree of them were outside of prying eyes and ears of everyone else Toshinori asked the American icon. "So, who is the guy conducting the interview?"

"From what I've been told his name is Shota Aizawa, does that sound familiar?" To which the taller blonde shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, it I think I've heard of him befre, but I wouldn't say I know what his specialties are to be exact."

"Well, when I asked Natasha and Clint about him they told me that he was, well…odd," Steve explained as they reached the entrance of the stadium, it was dimly lit, and the only sounds the three could hear were their own footsteps as they echoed through the area. Izuku felt like he was in some sort of horror movie from the lack of seeing of any sign of life besides the three of them.

"Huh, that's weird normally this place usually has at least some people inside of here?" Toshinori thought out loud to himself. "Normally yes, but I had the place booked for our interview." A new voice echoed throughout the area which caused the teen to feel a chill through his spine as he slowly backed up.

"I wouldn't take another step." Izuku's body became completely frozen from the voice in close proximity. The boy slowly turned his head to see a face looking straight at him. Izuku let out a yelp as he fell onto his backside, but the boy's fear was short lived as he saw a more of the face that was looking at him earlier and noticed the yellow sleeping bag around the face.

The teen heard a heavy sigh, "well, I was trying to take a nap before you had shown up, but it seems that you all came here earlier than I expected." Izuku then heard what sounded like a zipper of some kind as the sleeping bag opened up and revealed the figure inside.

The figured looked to be male, he looked to be the same height as Steve and didn't seem to be that much older than the super soldier. But those were the only similarities the two had as unlike the American icon the man had long messy black hair, his short dark hairs lightly covered the lower half of his face, and his bloodshot eyes looked to be black with dark bags under them as though he hadn't slept in days. Everything the man wore seemed to black with the only exception being a light grey long scarf that messily covered the top of his shoulders to the top of his neck.

The man's face held no inkling of emotion as he looked down towards the teen, "I assume that you are Izuku Midoriya?" To which the boy in question nodded, "good, I'm Shota Aizawa, but from here on out you will either call me sir or mister Aizawa, is that clear?" Izuku quickly nodded again, "y-yes sir!"

The dark-haired man simply looked at the teen as if he was a tiger watching his prey, until he looked back at the two other adults, "good, now follow me." Aizawa stated as he walked towards the halls as Izuku quickly got himself up and followed his interviewer. The teen looked back towards his mentor who gave the boy a reassuring smile as he looked back towards his interviewer, "um, mister Aizawa may I ask you something."

"That depends on what the question is and whether or not I will answer it." The man quickly stated in a nonchalant tone, which caused the boy to take a large gulp before he asked, "w-what is it that you will have me do today?"

Aizawa looked back at Izuku as he narrowed his eyes toward the teen, "is that what you're acting all nervous about? Well if you want to know what I am going to have you do today only consist of one trial." The boy's eyes widened for a brief moment, and before he could follow up on the answer, Steve quickly chimed in. "Only one? That doesn't sound like a good idea for someone from SHIELD give them only one test?"

"Normally, you would be right mister Rodgers, but because SHIELD's enhanced division acts autonomously from SHIELD, my boss has allowed me to choose and interview any way I deem fit. As long as I do not do anything that can be considered illegal or violate any of SHIELD's rules.

Besides, the reasoning behind this trial will be made clear soon." Aizawa explained as he opened the door to reveal a large open area that looked to be the center area of the stadium.

There were a few lights illuminating the center floor and in front of them sat a small table with what looked to be three baseballs. The interviewer went to the table and grabbed one of the baseballs and passed it to the boy, "this test will be simple." He then pointed to a circle behind him, "you will stand in the circle, and you throw the ball as hard as you can without leaving the said circle."

Izuku followed his instructions as the boy entered the circle, "this first throw will be without your powers, as a sort of control to compare for later." The boy looked back to the adults and noticed that his interviewer pulled out some sort of handheld device, "I will keep track of where it lands, and we will decide the rest from there." The interviewer explained as both Steve and Toshinori gave him another look of reassurance before turned back away from him. Even if this is meant to be a control he will do his best, Izuku let out a deep breath before throwing the baseball as hard as he could.

The ball landed near halfway from them and the end of the stadium. "46 meters, not bad, now this one will be with your powers," Aizawa stated as he threw Izuku another ball, as the teen caught it he let out a shaky breath. _'Okay, you can do this you've made it this far, just remember what Toshinori said. Don't let the egg explode.'_

Izuku got into position as he pulled his arm back. _'Don't let the egg explode!'_ He repeated as his arm began to arc to launch the ball as One for All flowed throughout it. _'Don't explode the egg!'_ The teen's mind roared just as he was going to throw the ball until he felt his power leave his arm.

Before the teen could comprehend what had happened the ball left his hand and flew through the air and landed just a bit farther than the first one, Izuku couldn't comprehend what had just happened. _'I don't get it…I just had it One for All where did it…'_

"Wait a minute now I remember you! You're Eraser Head!" Toshinori exclaimed to which Izuku quickly turned around and his eyes went wide. Aizawa's long hair was now seemingly floating as the scarf around his neck had unfurled and began to move like it had a mind of its own which revealed what looked to be yellow goggles around his neck. However, what caught Izuku off the most was now his eyes were no longer their original color, but a dark crimson as they focused on the teen.

At his side, Toshinori narrowed his eyes towards Aizawa while Steve seemed to be taken aback by the man's actions. However, the interviewer paid no mind to the tallest male as he focused on the teen. "If you are wondering what happened let me explain it the best way I can when I use my powers on normal people they are usually frozen if I look at them, but if they are enhanced, well as long as I look at them they end up having their powers erased."

Then before Izuku could blink, he felt the scarf surround his body and Aizawa gave a hard tug and pulled the teen closer to him until all Izuku could see where the man's bloodshot red eyes. "Now listen to me if you do not get at least double the distance you had earlier or if you break your arm you will not join my team is that understood?" Aizawa explained as his eyes became like red daggers piercing the boy's soul.

"Wait this isn't fair you cannot just do that to him, and what makes you believe he is going to break his arm if he threw the ball?" Steve called out as glared at Aizawa, the Eraser Head then shut his eyes, and once they had opened they had returned to their natural dark color, and his hair seemed to fall limp as his scarf then returned to its owner untangling the boy. Aizawa then looked back at Steve as he didn't seem to be bothered by the super soldier's accusation. "Well, it's quite simple really."

He then took his handheld device and activated some sort of hologram showing one of the flying monstrosity from the invasion of New York like the one Izuku had taken down, but it looked different, and the area around it was separate. "Look familiar mister Rodgers?" Steve's expression seemed puzzled as he did recognize it. "Yeah it's one of the first Chitauri monsters that came from the portal, what about it."

"Well, you see this one was attacked by the Hulk and based on the footage we have recovered he had dealt a massive blow to its head with a single punch. However, the blow itself wasn't what had killed this leviathan, as they called it, but by mister Stark blowing up, its insides. The only damage the Hulk had dealt it was against the armor and minor flesh damage. On the contrary…"

Aizawa then changed to another hologram which showed another one of those monsters, but it had looked familiar. "This is one here is the one Midoriya had killed. Unlike the other one, this leviathan had damage not only to its armor but completely fracturing its skull. And from what I have gathered from medical records on the day of the invasion I found someone with your exact description taken in for broken legs and arm."

Eraser Head looked back to Izuku who couldn't help but shrink back away from the man as he continued his explanation. "Now Midoriya understand the reason I was chosen to watch over my team is both for my powers and my ability to think rationally. Which is why I have chosen this test for you, because what if you accidently use your power on one of your teammates? Even if that were not the case what if you use your powers and you can't move, would you take that risk and become dead weight. Well, I'm not willing to take that chance."

The interviewer then handed the boy the last ball and silently turned the boy around towards the circle. Izuku was at a complete loss of words his mind was trying to comprehend what had happened. _'What do I do if I don't use One for All I'll fail, but if I do use it, I'll destroy my arm and still fail. I've come so far, but is this where I just screw up and repeat the cycle?'_

Izuku thought as he looked at the ball in his hand, but then it struck him, _'I got it!'_ The teen's expression became determined as he firmly gripped the ball, _'I just need to time it just right!'_ He then pulled back his arm and began his throw. _'Wait for it!'_ his mind cried out as he reached mid-throw, _'almost there!'_ The teen until he felt the very tip of his finger touched the ball, _'NOW!'_ Izuku roared as he put One for All into the one finger a loud 'BOOM' echoed the stadium as a loud crash from the ball as it went through the ceiling.

Pain shot throughout Izuku's right index finger as its discolored form contrasted the other digits, but all he could do was turn towards the adults and gave Aizawa a painful smile, "see mister Aizawa!" The teen exclaimed as he tightened his hand into a fist as more pain from the offended digit ached, but Izuku no longer cared. "I can still move my arm!"

Aizawa's eyes widened, but before he could say anything a loud voice echoed throughout the area, "Haha, take that Aizawa!"

Toshinori exclaimed as he entered his enlarged form as he let an even wider smile than before. That was until he noticed everyone was staring at him with raised eyebrows. The hero let out a chuckle as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "sorry about that. I was very unprofessional, but still!" All Might then pointed towards Eraser Head, "now do you see this kid has potential!"

Aizawa then dropped the surprised expression he had earlier and returned to his usual stoic one as he ignored Toshinori and turned to Izuku. "You did pass my test, and you also did the one thing that rarely happens, which is proving me wrong. But that does not mean you're in the clear."

"You showed me that you can at least have some semblance of control over it, but for what you'll be training for you'll have to do more than just breaking your finger. What you need is something with more control. So, I will give you two weeks for a proper test of your skills." Aizawa explained to which Izuku nodded, "I'll do it! Along with any other test you throw at me!"

Aizawa simply nodded and walked off, and quickly he had a pat on the back as both Steve and Toshinori, now in his normal form, came to his side. "what did I tell you, young man, you did great out there nothing less than what I expected!" Toshinori exclaimed as he playfully messed with the teen's green hair. "You did well out there, but do you mind if I take Toshi for a bit?" The American icon asked, to which Izuku nodded in response and the two men walked off outside the stadium.

A few minutes went by as Izuku waited and all he did was just sat there and watched his finger healing itself, which was not a fun experience watching as well as feeling it until the familiar form of Toshinori came into view. The teen quickly went up to his mentor Izuku looked around for any sign of the super soldier, but before he could ask the older man beat him to the punch. "You don't need to worry about Steve; he'll be back here in a sec. But we talked for a bit and well, let's just say that we know what to do in those two weeks."

"Wait, you're going camping for two weeks?" Ochako asked as she sat on her bed. When she heard the familiar heroic ringtone on the girl's phone, which she had given to her friend, she was bombarded with apologies from Izuku. When Ochako had finally calmed the boy down, Izuku then explained to her how he and Toshinori were going on the camping trip.

"I didn't think liked camping, the last time I saw you go 'camping' was in your living room, and we were seven." The brown-haired girl explained, to which Izuku let out a small chuckle through the phone. **"Yeah, b-but Toshinori said that he found a place to help me relax."**

 _'Then why didn't he wait for it to be summer?'_ Ochako wondered after hearing the boy's explanation, but she decided against bringing it up as she continued, "what are you going to do for school?"

 **"Actually, that's why I wanted to call you."** The girl then heard silence as she heard the boy lay down his phone, Ochako heard a what sounded to be a deep breath. **"WOULD YOU PLEASE TAKE MY NOTES! I WOULD DO IT MYSELF, BUT I ENDED UP WITH LESS TIME THAN I EXPECTED! IT WAS ALL LAST MINUTE AND SO COULD YOU TELL MY TEACHERS SO I CAN CATCH UP, PLEASE! "I'M SO SORRY, NEXT TIME WE MEET WE'LL PLAY FORTY-KAY, AND YOU CAN PICK WHATEVER MISSION TYPE YOU WANT, YOU CAN SET UP FIRST, YOU CAN EVEN PICK MY UNITS, YOU…"**

The girl held her phone as far as she could as Izuku once again went on one of his infamous ramblings, as she let a small smile form on her lips as she put her phone back to her ear. "It's okay Deku; I'll do it." There was a brief silence before Izuku could respond, **"Really?"**

"Yeah, I'll help you out! You've helped me out through worse, so it's the least I can do. And you don't have to worry about making it up to me, but since your making me do extra school work then I'll get to set up first when you get back, how does that sound?" Ochako asked in a playful tone.

On the other end, she heard the boy quickly pick up his phone. "Thank you Ochako, you're amazing! I'll be sure to meet up with you when I get back." Izuku stated which made the brown-haired girl's smile grow even wider. But her smile then dropped, as something came to her mind.

"Hey, Deku…Can I ask you something?"

 **"Yeah, what's up Ochako?"**

"Is there something you're not telling me Deku?"

There was a brief silence before her friend shakily responded, **"n-no, nothing is going on here! I-I'm fine…why do you ask?"** The girl shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know it was just today when Toshinori picked you up I thought it was weird, but if you're fine than I might just be over thinking things. Sorry about that, but I hope you and Toshinori have a good camping trip!"

 **"Yeah, I'll talk to you when I get, back!"**

"See ya!"

 **"Bye!"**

The two hung up, and Ochako's smile had fallen, _'he lied to me again.'_ She had known Izuku since first grade, and so she has been able to pick up on the many things that make him tick, especially if the green-haired boy was lying. The last time he had lied was when she asked about what he and Captain America had talked about at the hospital, Ochako chose not to bring it up again with their families since she didn't want to pressure him.

But today, his behavior was odd, even by Izuku's standards. From how the boy bolted out to Toshinori after he fumbled through his explanation. Ochako let out a heavy sigh as the teen girl set her phone down. Her room was quite small with just enough room for her to walk through.

The girl went to her desk right in front of her bed which held her computer.

Ochako started up her computer and as she waited to load her mind began to wander. This wasn't the first strange thing that happened to her friend this school year. When she had come back to school after their talk at the first week of school, the brown-haired girl noticed something different in his eyes, as if the small spark that he used to have seemed to have erupted into a roaring fire.

However, that wasn't all that changed for Izuku, no he seemed to become more and more athletic. Which was strange as last year the boy used to be barely faster than her when they went to the track, but now Izuku was lapping her. Though, if she was being honest, it didn't really bother her that much, since, in the end, he was still Izuku. He still kept his usual nerdy self, and with Katsuki avoiding them, it was a win-win.

But, what really caught her attention was when they were in the Invasion of New York. _"I need to help."_ His voice echoed in her memories.

When he narrowed his eyes in resolve as the giant flying monster was heading towards them, it was a look she was deeply familiar with, as its what he looked like when he was in the tough spot in one of their board games, and it meant he found a way to win. Seeing this shy and timid boy

Ochako had known since she was six charge his way towards the danger, it wasn't like him, or at least it wasn't a side she has seen before.

Light from the girl computer flashed in front of her and showed the girl's wallpaper. Ochako smiled as it showed both her and Izuku going the Comic-Con last year. Toshinori had always taken the two to the convention every year, which when asked he would simply reply with, 'I know a guy.' The brown-haired girl had the wide smile as both of her creating the peace sign with both of her hands as she leaned towards Izuku, who had a shaky smile and what looked to be some signs of crimson on his cheeks. Ochako looked at the boy as rested her chin on her arms, a small smile appeared on her face when thinking of the time they spent together.

"Ochako, honey dinner is about ready! Can you make up the table before your father comes home!" The girl's mother called, which caused the brown-haired girl to turn back towards the voice. "I'll be there in just a second."

Ochako looked back at Izuku, the digital image simply staring at her with the goofy expression on his face. _'What are you hiding from me?'_


	6. Ch 5: To be More

A/N: Hey everybody, I'm going to start by saying thank you all for reading this story, I had prewritten this story up to this chapter all throughout the summer with a couple f my friends beta reading it as to make sure I could make this to the be best I could put out there. So for those of you who read my story and saw that the last chapter was the same as the one before, well I made sure to fix it, so check it out, and if you had come before then, well forget what I had just said. But anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I should update this next week so stay tuned everybody!

* * *

Steve watched his city shrink out in the distance as the trees whipped by as he stared out into space as his mind wandered thinking how much had changed from how he remembered. The super soldier had never felt so small, but whenever he crossed the streets, it never felt the same. Even when Steve would go to Brooklyn, it felt like he was on a new planet. Like everything the American Icon remembered about his home had changed entirely, and Steve had yet decided whether it was good, or not.

"So, where exactly are we going?" Izuku asked which caused Steve to snap out of his thoughts and checked to his side. There the green-haired teen poked his head out in between both him and Toshinori. The taller blonde continued to keep his focus on the road ahead of them, "remember that park I had you clean for your training?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, while we were waiting to get an answer from SHIELD, I talked to the owner of the park, and you could say that I bought some land from him."

Both Izuku and Steve looked towards Toshinori with raised eyebrows. The taller blonde noticed their stares, "what?" Both the teen and super soldier looked at each other before returning to Toshinori.

"It's just…"

"You just seem to have a lot of money.

"Even though we've seen your apartment, and you own a comic shop, which from personal experience I know it doesn't get a lot of business," Izuku explained the American icon nodded in agreement. "Ah, well haven't you two heard of the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover?' I figured the two of you would be quite familiar with that, but to put it in the simplest way I can. Being one of SHIELD's best agents for almost seventy years has given me quite a lot of money for me to put in the bank."

"And besides if SHIELD lacks anything, money is definitely not it," Toshinori explained as he turned to the road at the park. Steve, seemed to find satisfaction with the answer, but it didn't seem to stop Izuku as the boy turned his attention towards the super soldier. "But what about you? Is SHIELD fine with you coming with us?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Steve stated as he remembered when he told Fury that he was taking the next couple of weeks off, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D couldn't, but laugh. Until he explained himself, and while the one-eyed man agreed to allow his break, but in return, the super soldier would have to respond in the case of an emergency.

The car ride was silent for the rest as Izuku seemed to look all around the forest, Steve couldn't help, but let out a small smile as he watched the teen. Until the car had stopped, "we're here." Both Izuku and Steve looked in front to see a log cabin.

The teen looked to his mentor with wide eyes as the three exited the car, "when did you get that?" As they were surrounded by multiple tall trees with the only other natural landmark being the mountain that towered over them. "How long did you have this?" Izuku asked, "about a couple of days ago." Toshinori replied as he turned into his enlarged form.

"I expected for SHIELD to have taken long before they called you back in, but its purpose remains." All Might explained as he opened the trunk of his car and pulled out all three of their bags. "First, let's put our things up, and then young man we shall begin your training."

…

Minutes go by as the three males unpacked their bags and both the American icon and the green-haired teen had left the cabin as they crossed the woods. Both he and Toshinori had agreed to a system where the both of them would start on two different sets of tasks. Steve would focus on physical training. As Toshinori felt he would not be any good at training with One for All due to his lack of understanding of the boy's situation as well as being afraid of hurting the boy with his attacks; so, the rest would the taller blonde would be handling the food and any necessities Izuku may need during their routine.

But today they needed an assessment. Steve had a theory, but he needed to be closer to Izuku to confirm it. Once they were a reasonable distance away from the cabin, the super soldier checked the area before noticing a small rock. _'This should do'_ he thought as the man tossed it to the teen. The green-haired boy fumbled the stone when Izuku firmly grasped the object he then looked at the war hero with a quizzical expression.

"What is this for?"

"I want to see something; do you remember what you did during that interview?"

Izuku nodded, "good now I want you to repeat what you did with that rock." The teen seemed to look a little confused by the request but decided not to argue against this. Izuku took a deep as he began his throw. Like the day before as the rock was about to leave the boy's hand green electricity blanketed the boy's index finger as he launched the rock with as a deafening 'BOOM!' followed it.

The teen let out a small yelp as he clenched his hand. But the super soldier also noticed that just like last time the boy's index finger looked a dark purple, and from the expression, Izuku made he was an incredible pain when he tried to move the digit. _'Just as I thought.'_

Steve remembered how every time he has seen the teen use One for All this was the result. _'He is treating his powers as if he is just summoning it, instead of just being apart of his own body.'_ The super soldier focused back to Izuku, "well I think I understand your problem now."

The teen looked at his teacher as his finger began to heal itself, "you're letting your respect of both All Might and Toshi hold you back." Steve explained to which earned him a raised eyebrow from the green-haired boy, "what do you mean?"

"Well I can't just give you all of the answers" the super soldier explained as the teen looked even more confused. The American icon let out a barely audible sigh as he gave the kid a small smile and pulled out his SHIELD. "Let me show you something" the older man stated as he held the disc by the rim.

The super soldier's eyes quickly darted around the surrounding area as he created a mental map. Once he had figured the path, he wanted to take as he readied his SHIELD and with his immense strength. The disc whizzed past Izuku as it slammed into an exposed rock which caused the vibranium SHIELD to ricochet back at an upwards angle. The teen yelped as he ducked his head just in time as the disc whooshed past his head. Steve just smiled as he raised a hand and caught the flying object.

"Do you want to know where I learned to do that?" Izuku nodded as the teen responded to the super soldier's question, "practice. You see when I first found out about how well this could be used as a long-ranged weapon I had to practice for it to become second nature to me." Captain America explained and as if to prove his point again he threw the vibranium SHIELD towards what looked to be a thick tree. As the metal disc slammed in the tree's right side, it ricocheted towards another larger stone not too far from them and returned to its owner.

"I wasn't as lucky to have a mentor like you and Toshi; I had to teach myself. So, while practice doesn't make perfect, what it does do is create habits. Good practice will make good habits, while bad habits, well, you get the rest. So, I won't tell you how to improve, but I will give you a push in the right direction in case you start making a bad habit. Do you understand?" The green-haired teen nodded which was all the older male needed.

"Good, now I want you to try hitting this while trying to control One for All," Steve explained as he pointed to the center of his SHIELD, Izuku nodded as he readied himself to which the American icon quickly followed suit. The super soldier waited for a few moments until he felt an immense force slammed into his SHIELD as wind flew past him from the impact. It reminded Steve when both he and Toshinori would spar each other, but the soldier's memory was quickly interrupted as he heard the boy cry out in pain.

Steve quickly pulled back his SHIELD, and his eyes widened as the blonde saw the teen on his knees as the boy gripped his arm which had turned dark purple as it remained limp and unresponsive. The super soldier quickly dropped his SHIELD as the blonde went to the teen's side as he gently let Izuku lay on the ground and making sure the damaged limb wouldn't cause the boy any more pain.

As the two calmed, Steve saw the green-haired teen use his un-injured arm to cover his eyes as the boy gritted his teeth. "I'm trying to do what Toshinori explained to me, but I can't seem to do it," Izuku stated as his damaged arm was regaining its original color and began to reset itself.

"Well you've only done this a couple of times now; so, don't beat yourself up, got it?" The teen nodded in response to the super soldier. "Good, now what you said earlier about Toshi, what did he say?"

"He said I should be visualizing my control; I try to think of putting an egg in the microwave and doing whatever I can to keep the egg from exploding. I just don't know what…" Izuku stopped as he raised his hand, the boy's green eyes went wide as if he finally solved a complex puzzle.

The teen was about to pick himself up, but the blonde gently pushed against the boy. "Easy their soldier your arm still needs to heal." But before the super soldier could say anything else, the boy looked at the man. "I finally get it, before I was just trying to harness the entirety of One for All, but maybe that's not what I need to do? Maybe I should just try using a small part of it instead." Izuku explained to which the super soldier nodded.

"Okay we'll work with that, but let's rest for a moment and make sure your arm is working before we use One for All." Izuku nodded as the two waited for the boy's arm to completely heal.

The two had returned to their original positions as Steve raised his SHIELD. A moment passed, and Izuku let out a roar as the blonde braced for the impact.

However, unlike the last time he did not feel the familiar impact of the punch, but instead he heard a small 'ping!' Followed by the teen letting out a loud hiss as the soldier lowered his SHIELD to find the green-haired teen rapidly shaking the pain away from his hand.

"Ow, that wasn't enough power to start. What am I doing wrong am I just overthinking it? Or what if..." Izuku then continued to do his usual ramblings, but Steve did not stop the boy as he began to wonder as well.

 _'The kid is making this more complicated than it needs to be. We might be here all day trying to find the sweet spot, but if he does too much, we'll have to stop. That will be wasted time that we can't get back unless...'_ Memories flashed through his brain with the images of what the boy had done when he had killed the Leviathan, and when he threw the last ball in the interview.

With a new plan in mind, the super soldier sheathed his iconic SHIELD on his back. The boy was beginning to mumble under his breath as Izuku rested his chin on his hand. However, before the teen could continue Steve rested a hand on the boy's shoulder. The teen looked up at the blonde, "let's try something different."

Izuku nodded in agreement and looked up at the man ready to listen. "This time you are going to hit me, instead of the SHIELD." The boy's eyes widened, "wait, are you sure?" To which the older male nodded.

"Yep, as sure as I'll ever be."

"B-but what if I lose control and hit you with a hundred percent?!"

"Well you better not let that happen, and besides I've fought Toshi plenty of times so, I can take a hit," Steve explained, however, the man failed to mention how one of the only few times Toshinori had made it past his SHIELD it nearly knocked the super soldier out, but he didn't need to know the details.

"Don't worry, Izuku I wouldn't let you do this if I didn't trust you." The American icon stated as he readied himself for the impact. This was the best way Steve could think of to teach the boy, from what he had seen Izuku being put in a stressful situation that forced the boy to adapt, and as was demonstrated earlier with the stone, he can also remember how to apply it correctly.

The American icon looked down and noticed the boy looked to be sweating bullets. "Hey, Izuku" the teen looked up at his teacher who gave him a thumbs up, "you got this." _'And let's hope that I'm right about this.'_

Izuku took his stance and pulled back his arm as green electricity jumped around the limb. But before, he could he could regret his decision a powerful blow landed slammed into the soldier's gut and pushed him back a couple of inches. Steve let out a coughing fit from the impact as the green-haired teen quickly went to the blonde's side, "are you all right?"

However, despite the small amount of pain in his gut a smile spread across his face, "you're arm." Steve stated as he pointed to Izuku's uninjured arm. The teen then looked to his arm, and his green eyes went wide as he let a small laugh. "I did it!"

As the boy exclaimed the blonde man straightened himself, "you think you can repeat that?" The boy nodded in response to which the super soldier took out his SHIELD, "well good I don't think I can be used as a punching bag anymore."

…

Hours passed as both Izuku and Steve continued their practice as the super soldier continued to drill the boy on using the small amount of force One for All that the teen could manage. However, Steve also chooses to add other activities to keep their training from becoming too repetitive, most of which included some basic exercises along with teaching the boy how to properly throw a punch as well as other fighting techniques.

The only time the two had taken a long break was when Toshinori had brought lunch for the two and when they had shown how Izuku had been able to control One for All. To which the taller male shocked the two when he stated it looked like the boy could handle only five percent of his power. However, despite the teen's surprise it seemed to spur him on in their practice.

They were both returning to the cabin as the sun was coming closer to the horizon. Toshinori had been waiting for them with what looked to be a campfire and decided to have their dinner over as he found it to be "fitting." At first, the teen seemed to worry, and the older man just reassured him that it would be fine

Now, the three were eating their dinner as the two blondes decided to tell stories about their days in the Howling Commandos as well as a few embarrassing stories about Izuku much to the boy's dismay.

"Anyways after we free village from the Hydra goons, the villagers decided to throw us a giant party as their way of saying thanks. And despite our orders to return to base immediately after our mission, this big softie chose to stay."

"Well, I didn't hear any complaining from the rest of you."

"Of course, not Rodgers because the rest of us knew Carter would give **you** an ear full when we got back to base," Toshinori stated to which the war hero rolled his while the green-haired boy looked at the two with wide eyes as he was engrossed in their stories as a bag of marshmallows sat by his side.

"Anyways they had this huge dance in which almost everyone one of us had a partner, except our fearless leader here. He just watched us go around the area, and he had turned down every girl that came up to him, except for one."

"She was small, around your age Izuku, and her cheeks were so red she looked like she was going to explode. The girl then asked if he could dance with her, to which he said…"

"If you don't mind me stepping on your toes." Steve finished which caused the older blonde's smile to grow even wider.

"You should have seen the two of them she half his height and looked like she would catch Steve on fire from how red she was."

"You guys would never let that go."

"Of course, we couldn't, especially when we told Carter, except the girl's age. I almost had to get in there from how much she wanted your head, but in the end, we told her the truth."

"Yeah, and then the rest of you got an earful after that." The American icon stated to which earned a chuckle from the taller blonde, "no kidding, I remember how Bucky couldn't stop complaining about how she nearly took his ear off."

The two men laughed as they reminisced, as Toshinori stopped his laughter he kept his broad smile. "Yeah, that's how it always was with you. Everywhere we went there was always someone who wanted to see you, from kids to older higher-ups in the army."

"It actually reminds me of a certain fanboy I know," Toshinori stated as he let out a mischievous smile towards Izuku, whose face began to redden at the realization of where this was going. "If you want to see true idolization you have to see this kid's room. Everywhere you look in there has my...or we'll All Might's face."

Steve did his best to hold his laughter as Izuku's hands were now covering his face. "Stop, it's already bad enough that you know about it?" The teen cried out, to which the older man let out a chuckle.

"There's no reason to be so embarrassed about it, young man. All it means is that you a lot of passion and there is nothing wrong with that." After hearing the man's explanation, the boy's hands dropped from his face now with only his cheeks were red.

"But what surprises me is the fact that you are still into the whole superhero thing. Since I'd think most kids your age would like that sort of thing." The taller blonde thought out loud to himself.

Now the blush on Izuku's cheeks hasn't subsided as it was replaced by a small smile across his face. "Yeah, most of them aren't, but the thing is I've loved the idea of superheroes ever since I could remember." The green-haired boy took a spit that they had been using to cook their food and took a marshmallow from the bag next to him and stuck it on the point.

"I think it all started with a story my mom would tell me." The boy started as he held the marshmallow over the fire. "She said that someone saved her and that all she saw was a tall man with a large smile. So, when I saw a comic with All Might's face on the cover of a comic and with all of the ideals that it promoted and I just kept with it ever since."

The teen looked over to Toshinori as the two smiled at each other for a moment before the taller male looked down towards the fire and his eyes went wide, "hey, hey you're burning your marshmallow!" The boy looked back at the spit and quickly pulled it back which revealed the large burn mark on the treat.

The older male lets out a heavy sigh, "you need to be careful with that. If you just leave it where it will catch fire and ruin the entire thing; you need to turn it to get the most out of it." But Steve seemed to notice that the teen seemed to zone out, "oh no, he's at it again." The super soldier didn't need to ask as he noticed it was similar expression he had when Izuku had figured out something. Then without warning the teen stood straight up, "I get it now!"

"What a shock." Toshinori sarcastically stated, but Izuku did not seem to take notice as he looked over at Steve. "This morning when you told me that my respect for All Might was holding me back."

"Did you say that?" Toshinori asked with an upset tone to the super soldier who just shrugged his shoulders and gave his friend an I'll-explain-later kind of look. "I didn't think about it that much at the moment, but when I look back at it, I've always thought of One for All as All Might's power, that it was something I had to summon. But it isn't, it's a part of my body!" The boy explained as he went into the marshmallow bag and pulled out the puffy treat and held it out to the men.

"This marshmallow is me, and the fire is One for All if I can take the five percent I can already harness and spread it across my body so that I can get the most out of it." As to prove his point Izuku clenched his fist and teeth as green sparks began to erupt from his feet and started to move across his body with what looked to be light red veins that appeared around different parts of his body.

It took a few seconds for it to completely envelop his body as the teen looked at the two blondes with an excited smile, "like this!" Toshinori smiled, "well look at that. It looks like you're on a roll with One for All!" Izuku smiled at his mentor before turning to Steve with a serious expression.

"Can I practice with this for a little bit?" The teen asked the super soldier who looked towards the sky as the sun was reaching closer to its horizon. Steve nodded towards Izuku, "sure, but as soon as it gets dark we're going into the cabin, got it?" The boy nodded as he walked away, "and stay within eyesight!" The American icon yelled out as the green-haired teen and did some agility-based exercises.

"He's quick, isn't he?" Steve asked to which Toshinori nodded, "yeah, that kid has always had a good head on his shoulders." The two watched in silence as green sparks fly around the area. "So, I guess we're not going to talk about it?"

"What do you mean?" The taller man asked calmly, "you know what." Steve stated to which Toshinori let out a heavy sigh. "Does he at least know?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he figured it out not long he found out that I was All Might, but he hasn't said anything, and I wouldn't blame him."

"Why?" Steve asked to which Toshinori's expression fell, "well in Izuku's story he left out one detail." Steve's eyes widened, "what happened?" The super soldier asked.

Toshinori let out another sigh as he looked up at the darkening sky. "There was a massive fire in this one building; it was so bad I couldn't use One for All to force it off of it cause it could have spread to other buildings. I saved everyone that I could that the firefighters couldn't reach and then there was a report of a couple trapped in one of the floors."

"So, I did my thing and reached them only to find a woman completely knocked out, and a man holding the only thing keeping the entire room collapsing on them. He begged me to get his wife out of there and so, I promised him that I would get him as soon as possible."

"Then I escaped with her in tow and just as I reassured her that I would get her husband the entire building fell. There was only one casualty. Hisashi Midoriya, husband and father to Inko and Izuku Midoriya."

Steve's eyes had become even wider as the realization dawned on him. "So, the day I saved Izuku's mother was the same day I made her widow, and the boy fatherless. After that day I promised myself to save as many people I could within arm's reach. But it didn't stop the nightmares, and when I first met both him and Inko, I thought it was the universe punishing me."

"But when they kept on coming back, I guess my view on it changed. Instead of the universe punishing me I felt that it was giving me a chance to prove the Hisashi's sacrifice wasn't in vain by protecting them." Toshinori explained as he watched the form of Izuku bouncing around them.

Steve smiled towards his old friend who let out a deep and heavy sigh as his shoulders sagged as if a great burden had been lifted off of them. "Well, I'll be at the cabin make sure Izuku doesn't overdo anything." The super soldier nodded as the taller male left him.

The American icon watched as dusk was approaching and came up with an idea he wanted to try at least once before they turned in for the night. "Hey Izuku, come here for a quick moment," Steve called out to which the teen quickly responded to as leaped over to the blonde's side.

"Is something wrong? Are we going back inside, but I thought you said that I had until it gets dark?" Izuku asked in rapid succession to which Steve raised his hands and let out a chuckle. "Easy there, I hadn't had a chance to explain myself. I just wanted to see how you were handling with this new ability."

The boy's eyes went wide for a moment as he let out an excited smile. "Yeah, I think I'm getting used to this feeling, I've even come up with a name for it!"

"A name?"

"Yeah, in some of the comics that I've read the heroes there would name some of their attacks or abilities. Like All Might would name his attacks after different states and cities. I've decided to call it 'Full Cowl!'" Izuku explained even though at first Steve found the idea to be a little silly, but he didn't find anything wrong with it. The super soldier smiled and nodded, "well I also wanted to try something before it gets dark."

The teen nodded waiting to hear the American icon's orders. "I wanted to try Full Cowl in a quick sparring match just to see what I'm going to be working with before we finish for tonight. As I told you before…"

"Good practice creates good habits." Izuku finished which earned a nod from his teacher. The green-haired boy clenched his fists together as he began to activate Full Cowl. Then without any warning, Steve gave the boy a quick jab in the gut, which caused him to be launched back a couple of feet and caused him to go into a coughing fit.

The green-haired teen looked up at the icon with a quizzical look to which the blonde simply smiled as he entered into his boxing stance. "The first rule of any fight is that your opponent isn't going to sit back and wait till you're ready."

The super soldier didn't want to do anything too complicated all he wanted was to test Izuku. Steve quickly moved into the boy's space ready to throw another punch. This time Izuku reacted much quicker than last time as his hand sparked with green electricity and threw it up in the air causing the dirt beneath them to launch towards the super soldier forcing the blonde to cover his face. The man felt a surge of wind fly past him.

As Steve quickly turned around to find Izuku far from his reach, with a quick glance back where the boy previously was at and noticed the large footprint where he was prior. _'He must've put five percent into his feet after he made the screen to create more distance, clever.'_

But the super soldier didn't have time to praise the boy as the teen seemed to be a third of the way, so he quickly moved to get closer. However, the teen was able to completely activate Full Cowl and quickly got into Steve's face as the teen threw a punch, to which the super soldier easily dodged away from it.

Then what came next was a set of punches thrown in rapid succession by the teen, but due to Izuku's lack of experience of fighting Steve found them easy to dodge and block as he seemed to telegraph every move. On the last punch, the blonde deflected it to the side causing the boy's side to be completely open. Steve didn't hesitate as counterattacked with a jab into the Izuku's side making the boy off balance.

The older man followed it up with a right hook. However this time the boy dodged the attack as he dashed passed the brawler, and in the corner of his eye, he saw the green-haired teen behind him as Izuku got ready to throw a leaping punch. But it didn't seem to worry him as he bobbed his head to the side causing the attack to barely fly past his head, which made the man smile as he grabbed the boy's arm and threw the teen to the ground and quickly raised his fist over Izuku's head.

"You yield?" The green-haired teen nodded the super soldier's body relaxed as he offered up his arm to which Izuku grabbed it, and the blonde pulled the boy up. "That was good. However, we definitely need to work on your fighting style. But that's the whole point of being here, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I have to ask are we going to do this every day?" Izuku asked to which Steve shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe, but I got other things in mind."

"Like what?"

"I thought that we could do some races, but we can talk about it in the morning. C'mon let's go to the cabin before Toshi yells at us."

Steve then wrapped his arm around the teen's shoulder and walked back to the cabin as the sunset.

Izuku jumped over the brush as he sprinted through the dense forest as Full Cowl surrounded his body. The teen looked around and noticed the familiar form Steve Rodgers sprinting, _'I need to catch up!'_ Izuku thought to himself as he continued his sprint.

Both he and Steve were training for almost two weeks now, and now Izuku felt that his control of One for All as the two would teach him by doing multiple exercises using Full Cowl as well as focusing it on single parts of his body. While Izuku's output didn't increase from the five percent he was already able to control, he had found multiple uses of how to best utilize what he can do.

One of the ways Steve found would be helping improve his agility which was why he was in the forest. The super soldier thought it would be best to test the teen by making a race that would go up to the mountain that was near the log cabin and Steve would go through the trail. While Izuku had to go through the forest itself to reach their destination; however, the catch was that Izuku could never take the same path twice. So, this forced the green-haired boy to think of new ways to traverse as well as go through an area that was filled with unpredictable obstacles while racing the America icon who had fewer obstacles for him to watch out for. Along with the man's already incredible speed, it forced the teen to improvise, act quickly, and do everything he could not to hesitate.

As soon as Izuku spotted the super soldier, the teen quickly assessed his surroundings and noticed a path that he could take. The boy ran to where a large boulder with what looked to be a broad edge and used it to jump to between a tree that seemed to split into a letter 'Y.' Izuku then launched himself towards a sturdy branch as he used the momentum he gathered to propel himself to the ground.

"See you've finally made it, I guess you didn't get lost this time!" Steve joked the teen ignored the jab as he kicked his feet over a dead tree that blocked his path and he pushed off it using his hands to propel him even farther. "You seem to handle clearing the forest from the lack of dirt on your face."

"Didn't you say that if you have the energy to talk, then you should use that energy to run?" Izuku jokingly asked, the teen then heard a chuckle, "I guess I should follow my own advice then." Steve stated as without any warning the super soldier went into a full on sprint as the path split off from the teen.

 _'The trail should make a wide bend before it straightens out towards the end. I need to cut through that if I'm going to beat Steve.'_ Izuku concluded as he bolted through the natural obstacles in his path, as the mountain became closer with every stride. The teen-focused on the different parts of the rock face looking for different footholds and other places where he could have support. He then noticed a tree with what looked to be a sturdy looking branch that looked to be near the edge of a cliff that was connected to the mountain.

Without hesitation, the teen quickly leaped towards the wall of rock and pushed off one of the footholds and launched himself towards one of the nearest rocks that the teen was able to grab. Then in quick rapid succession launching himself with his upper body towards the closest thing his hands could hold, until he was about a couple of feet from the tree branch. As Izuku quickly looked towards the branch and made a quick calculation in his mind before throwing himself straight up, he then used his right hand and foot to launch himself onto the branch.

Luckily, he was able to land his feet on the branch as the boy hugged the tree. _'Okay, it's okay just don't look down.'_ Izuku thought to himself as he disengaged Full Cowl and looked at the edge of the cliff, _'I can just be able to grab onto the ledge without any problem, but I have to do this carefully since it's a long trip…'_

"Crack!" The sharp sound snapped the teen out of his thought process as he looked down towards the branch. The branch was becoming lower as it began to creak and groan under his weight. _'Or I can just go now!'_

Izuku reactivated Full Cowl as he launched himself as the branch completely snapped from the force of the jump. The teen reached his arms out as he grabbed the edge, "well, I guess I missed judged that one." The green-haired boy thought out loud to himself as he pulled himself over the edge and gathered his breath. Izuku quickly jumped back to his feet as he returned to the trail.

However, to the teen's shock, he found Steve had sprinted right past him. Izuku then sprinted towards the super soldier quickly catching up to the man. The American icon simply smiled at the boy but didn't make any comment as their end was approaching. In front of them stood what looked to be where hikers who walked the trail would take a break at and standing tall watching was the enlarged form of All Might with what looked to be a stopwatch in his hand.

Izuku decided to take a chance as he slowed himself just enough to behind Steve, he watched the side waiting for the right moment, it wasn't until he saw what looked to be a large rock standing out. The green-haired teen didn't waste a moment more as he quickly jumped towards it and pushed off of it and doing so that he would be in front of Steve.

The teen smiled as he Steve began to slow down as to not run into Izuku, _'just as I thought, now I've got a small window before he decides to just go around me.'_ The green-haired boy thought as his foot was firmly planted onto the ground and sprinted as hard as he could towards the end. He felt the super soldier rapidly gaining on the teen as the towering form of All Might, but before Steve had the chance to pass the green-haired boy the two quickly passed Toshinori marking the end of their race.

Izuku slid to a stop while the super soldier slowed himself down to a standstill. Both the green-haired teen and the blonde were taking heavy breaths as they looked towards each other. Steve smiled and nodded towards Izuku as he felt a heavy hand on his back, "good job young man. You were able to do over six miles in ten and a half minutes that's a personal best!" The enlarged hero exclaimed as the muscular male slapped the teen on the back that nearly caused Izuku to hit the ground.

"That was good Izuku, take a quick break to breathe then I want to do us to spar." Izuku nodded as he gathered his breath, but Toshinori looked at the super soldier with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure that's such a good idea, Steve? He just finished a difficult race already; won't you overwork him?"

But the blonde shook his head towards the tallest male. "Not, really or at least that won't be my goal for today. Since tomorrow we will leave early, the two of us won't be able to get a chance to practice. And Izuku needs to cover a lot of ground today, to make sure he succeeds tomorrow." Steve explained, the super soldier had made it clear that today would be one of the hardest days, even so far as to call it 'dead day' as the older man explained, _'you're going to wish you were dead before the day ends.'_ So far, he was keeping his word as just this morning he could feel his arms and legs feeling incredibly sore.

But Izuku did not complain, Steve was right, they need to do as much as they could before the teen could confront Aizawa's tests, and it if it meant to push his body to its limits, well it wouldn't be the first time.

"Well shouldn't the two of you eat first after completing such a difficult race, he should at least deserve some lunch after burning so many calories?" All Might asked as he pointed to a bag near on one of the picnic tables. "Yeah, but in a fight, I think it would be best for one of us to accidentally throw up during the spar, to be honest."

This caused the taller male to let out a nervous laugh, "I guess you do have a point there." Toshinori admitted as he rubbed the back of his head, Steve then looked back to the teen, "you ready Izuku?" To which the boy nodded, the two then took up positions their positions as Izuku made sure outside Steve's range as he learned from their first sparring match.

Throughout these two weeks, Steve has taught the teen some of the basics of fighting as the two continued their spars. They had also trained on activating Full Cowl in a short amount of time, so he didn't have to take so long charging it up now instead of the five seconds it took before now he could bring it out in under a second.

As to demonstrate this the teen's body erupted with green electrical almost instantly, both Steve and Izuku then went into their respective stances. The two stood there waiting for the other to make the first move, then without warning the boy launched himself towards the super soldier. Izuku threw readied a heavy right hook aimed straight for the man's temple, to which Steve countered by intercepting the punch by using his left forearm. _'Got you!'_ The teen exclaimed in his mind as now the blonde had exposed a small portion of his left side, and taking the opportunity the teen threw his left knee onto the small, weak point.

But the more experienced brawler noticed the incoming attack and dodged under the feint and threw his elbow into the teen's knee. A brief wave of pain washed through the boy's entire leg from the impact, Izuku gritted his teeth as he watched Steve begin his counter-attack with a straight punch to the green-haired teen's face.

Izuku then chooses to use the arm at the beginning of his assault to block the incoming punch, but as the fist came closer, the teen noticed it was unclenching itself as it looked to be ready to grab the boy's arm. His green eyes widened as he quickly recognized the maneuver the American icon was trying to perform, he then put all of his weight into the heel of his right foot as he thrust his left hand out towards the blonde's face. A small burst of air escaped and went into Steve's face causing the super soldier to wince as well as being just enough force to push the teen back. However, the teen didn't escape cleanly as he felt a large foot slamming into the boy's stomach launching him even farther back.

The green-haired boy used the momentum to roll as far as he could as he then stretched himself out and landed onto the balls of his feet and hands. Izuku looked up at the super soldier as his mind sped through a myriad of thoughts. _'The grab that Steve attempted earlier, he may be used it as a way to put me on the ground.'_ In all of their sparring matches, if Steve ever put him onto the ground, it was all over.

 _'I may have a speed advantage over him, but he has the weight and experience over me, so I need to be careful in the next engagement.'_ Izuku thought himself as Steve recovered and was advancing towards the boy. The green-haired teen did not hesitate as he launched himself back into the fray.

But instead of facing the brawler head-on at the last moment he quickly sidestepped to the left of the man and launched back with a punch aimed at the super soldier's head. Steve quickly began to ready a counterattack, but to what looks to be the blonde's confusion was the fact that the boy's punch whiffed an inch away from his face. But his confusion quickly went away as the super soldier gritted his teeth as Izuku slammed his knee into the man's side.

The boy kept the momentum going as he landed on his shoulder to go into a roll out on the other side of the brawler. Izuku then went in as threw a quick left hook on the man's side, then as to try to make a combo he quickly threw out a right hook and a quick jab towards the man's gut. But unlike the first hit, Steve was ready for the onslaught as he dodged the hook and blocked the jab with a chop like motion towards the boy's wrist batting the attack away.

Izuku then tried to back up out of the man's range once again. However, the boy felt a hand grab a fist full of his shirt and launch him away from the fight. The green-haired boy rolled again, but before he could recover himself again, the teen felt something slam into his body and throw him on the ground. Izuku's eyes widened as he felt the familiar weight of Steve on top of him as he felt the man's arm trap both the teen's arm and neck.

After realizing what position, the teen was put into did not deter him though as he tried to figure out a way out of this predicament. Izuku had to figure out a way to escape because the boy had yet escaped from a grapple did not mean he couldn't, _'there's a first time for everything.'_ The boy thought as he tried to grab Steve's legs to nullify the hold, but the super soldier made sure to move away from the limbs. When that failed the boy then tried to wriggle his trapped arm until it slipped free and Izuku tried to throw a punch to Steve's jaw, but the brawler simply moved his head up and away from the attack and trapped both of his arms in the hold now.

The teen struggled as hard as he could, but in the end, Izuku let his body relax as he tapped the Steve three times on the side signifying that he has yielded. The American icon released his grip and sat down on the ground, the man lightly pat Izuku on the gut. "Those were some good hits kid."

"Yeah, but it didn't really matter in the end, you still won. I can never beat you whenever we go to the ground."

"Well there are very few people who could beat me there, the only person I can think of that I have yet beaten, is sitting right there."

Steve stated as he pointed towards the muscular form of All Might. "It's not that I couldn't pick him up it's just keeping him there since, well he weighs a lot more than I do."

"Hey, I've been able to lose a considerable amount of weight since you were frozen, I weigh about four hundred and ninety-six pounds!" The hero exclaimed, _'four hundred and ninety-six!'_ Izuku looked at All Might with wide eyes, he figured that the taller blonde was heavy, but that number had crossed his mind when he thought of the subject.

"Oh wow, that sounds like a lot I guess in your old age I was expecting you to have more of a bump in your stomach." Steve joked which let out a hearty laugh, "well aren't you clever, but you forget I may look older, but you're technically four years older than me Rodgers!"

The two men laughed with Izuku between looking at them with wide eyes as he began to realize his mentor's age, but he decided not to bring it up. After both Steve and Toshinori finished their laughter, the taller male grabbed his cooler and handed both the super soldier and the teen a pair of baggies with food in them. "Well here is your lunch for today, be sure to come back before sunset, and young man we need to finish the last of your homework so that we can keep your mind sharp along with your body!"

Izuku nodded to which the hero gave the two a salute. "Alrighty then, I will see the both of you later." Then he lowered his body and launched himself in the air as what sounded to be his usual hardy laughter following him. Both Izuku and Steve felt the large gust of wind fly past him; the teen watched with wide eyes as they followed Toshinori's form fly through the sky.

"He's so cool!" The green-haired teen exclaimed with a large smile across his face. "Yeah, he's something alright. C'mon lets eat." The super soldier stated as he put an arm over the boy's shoulder and pulled him over the table.

The two sat and ate the food they were eating, as Izuku had a couple of bites left of his meal, the teen felt a pat on his shoulder. The boy looked to find Steve giving a small smile, "so, how do you feel about tomorrow?"

The boy lowered his green eyes towards a loose pebble off in the distance as he shrugged his shoulders. "Nervous mostly, but I think I'm kinda excited. I feel like I'm moving so close to my goal of joining SHIELD and working with people like you and Toshinori. But I'm also excited to be back home and eat some of mom's food again and sleep in my own bed as well."

Izuku thought back as images of his mother and Ochako which made him smile. "Oh, what about your girlfriend as well?" Steve joked to which the teen's face became beet red as he rapidly threw his hands in every direction. "W-wait no, it's nothing like that. We are friends, yes she's a girl, but it just…IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!"

Ever since Toshinori told the American icon about his best friend the two men could not help, but tease the poor boy, and Izuku's reaction did not help to deter them. Steve laughed at the boy as he pat the boy's back, "you know I'm just messing with you Izuku, but I wanted to ask you something that is actually wanted to ask."

"Hm, yeah sure."

"When I went to visit you at the hospital when I heard the girl talk to you, she called you 'Deku' where did that come from?"

The boy's shoulders slacked as he looked down at the ground. "It was an old nickname someone I knew gave me a long time ago." The teen explained, "does it mean anything?" The super soldier pried a little bit further.

"It's Japanese, it means worthless, or someone who can't do anything." There was silence between them, "I'm sorry I asked."

"No, it's fine Toshinori would have probably told you anyways." Izuku stated, "well if it means that, then why does she call you that?"

Izuku thought back as he remembered when he was in first grade, and Katsuki was beating him up, but now a girl with brown hair as she spread open her arms to cover him. _"You leave him alone you jerks!"_

"I honestly don't remember. I guess the bad memories stand out more than the good." Izuku explained as he played with his thumbs, and the silence returned. "Y'know someone once told me, a strong man who has known power all his life will lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength…and knows compassion."

Izuku felt something grip his shoulder and the teen looked up towards Steve. "So, when, not if, you become a part of SHIELD, don't become a good soldier, be a good man." Izuku smiled as he nodded to which the super soldier playfully ruffled the boy's fluffy green hair. "C'mon we've got work to do today."

"Yeah, let's go." The two got up and left to continue their activities for the day.

Ochako wiped the glass cover of the coffee table as she let out a small cough from the stray bits of dust flew into the brunette's face. "Thank you so much for helping me clean up the house today." Izuku's mother called out to the young teen looked back to the green haired woman with a warm smile. "No problem miss Midoriya!"

It's almost been two weeks since Izuku and Toshinori left to go camping and Ochako has made sure to be with the mother, for a while, she did allow the two to leave town, it did not mean she was not worried. The younger girl could tell as when the mother ever talked about her son there was a sense of worry in her eyes. However, Ochako could feel that her presence was helping ease the older woman's worries.

"Could you dust the inside that drawer for me?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Oh, and be careful it's been a few months since I've opened it!"

"Okay," The teen responded as she finished setting the coffee table as she crawled over to the drawer as she instinctively covered her mouth and nose when the girl opened the door as a small cloud of dust came out towards her. _'She wasn't kidding'_ the girl thought as she saw the thick layer of dust covering the area.

Ochako then made sure to empty the drawer until something caught her attention that made the brunette stop what she was doing. There sat a large book with what looked to be a cutout picture of All Might with large words put in red, white, and blue saying 'MY HERO!'

Curiosity began to fill her mind as she wiped the dust off the book, Ochako then opened it and immediately let out a small, "aww" as a picture of a smiling baby Izuku came into view. "Oh, Ochako I forgot to ask how your father was doing at…"

The teen girl looked back at the mother whose green eyes went wide as they sparked with recognition. "I've been looking everywhere for that!" The green-haired woman exclaimed as she quickly went to Ochako's side. "I must've left it here by accident."

The mother pointed to a photo of what looked to be the mother when she was younger with a blanket over her head and the small form of Izuku wearing an All Might onesie with a fist in the air. "That was a game Izuku loved to play when he was younger, where he would pretend to be All Might and save me." The green-haired woman explained as she continued to tell the stories of every picture they saw, and Ochako smiled as she took in all the information.

That was until the brunette noticed something, it looked to be Izuku when he was around four years old and beside him was, "Katsuki?" The teen asked completely flabbergasted when she noticed the familiar ash blonde spiky hair of Izuku's tormenter, but he was…smiling? It was not even the twisted smile the bully was known for, it was actually, genuine.

The mother noticed Ochako's interest in the photo, "I know it's hard to believe, but a long time ago they used to be very good friends. Mitsuki, Katsuki's mother, and I were good friends, and so they used to play with each other for such a long time, ever since the two could walk they stuck to the hip. But then one day he became so aggressive towards Izuku it was completely out of nowhere and not even his mother could explain it."

Ochako sat there as he brown eyes widen the more she soaked up, the older woman, whom quickly tried to change the subject, but it failed to keep her mind repeating the story. _'Deku never told me about this.'_ The teen figured that both Izuku and Katsuki had history, but this was not what she was expecting.

When they finished looking through the album as they continued to clean the woman's apartment, now the girl was at the doorway with her backpack over her shoulder, as Izuku's mother stood in front of the teen as she held an envelope filled with money towards her. "You don't have to do that miss Midoriya."

The girl stated, but the woman continued, "I insist, you've been such help these couple of weeks." Ochako smiled as she accepted the woman's gift, "and be careful out there the news said that there had been two kidnappings this week."

"Don't worry about it, and besides my dad says that they always exaggerate everything just to get better ratings."

"I know, but still I'd rather be safe than sorry. Oh, and one more thing before you leave."

Ochako looked back at the woman just as she was about to step outside of the apartment. "I know you're still thinking about what I told you about Katsuki. But, I wanted to tell you that while what happened between the two of them was, difficult. However, when he met you and Toshinori…it made me feel so happy seeing that my baby found people that helped him smile again."

The mother explained as she held both sides of Ochako's face to which the girl gave the woman her usual warm smile as she nodded. She then hugged the woman one more time before she left the apartment and returned home.

…

Ochako rested her cheek on her hand as she listened to the teacher drone on and on, as she waited for class to be over. What the brunette found last night still echoed through her mind as she wondered, why? What did Deku do for Katsuki to hate him so much? Was there even a reason? The more she asked herself, the deeper the hole she dug herself would be.

Ochako remembered how when she went to her first day in first grade and how terrified she felt when the girl entered the classroom. The brunette was originally from upstate and had moved to the city when her father found a business opportunity there, and now she was here. Ochako introduced herself she remembered how the teacher asked the other children if any of them wanted to help her out.

The girl remembered the silence deafened the classroom, that was until a single hand shot up in the air. The hand belonged to a small boy with fluffy green hair, green eyes, and some freckles on his face.

When Ochako sat next to the green-haired boy, it was then the girl realized how quiet the boy was, but the brunette was soon surprised by the fact that he was incredibly smart as he explained everything the teacher was discussing in class. However, the green-haired boy still did not seem to want to have a conversation, until she noticed his bag was opened and she noticed to be a large smiling man with the words ' **All Might** ' over the cover, her eyes went wide as she recognized the medium.

 _"You like comics?!"_ The girl whispered to which the boy looked at her, _"do you?"_ To which Ochako nodded as she opened her own bag to reveal a comic with what looked to be a marshmallow with limbs and what looked to be a weird looking astronaut helmet, with the words saying ' **The Amazing Adventures of No.13!** ' The boy's green eyes widen in excitement as the brunette reached her hand out to him.

 _"I'm Ochako Uraraka!"_

 _"Izuku, Izuku Midoriya."_

The memory made the teen smile as after that introduction well; the rest was history. But Ochako then remembered Izuku's lies earlier last week. _'Maybe I can ask Deku what happened to him and Katsuki when he gets back.'_ However, the brunette immediately went against it, _'if not even Katsuki's mother knew what happened how can he.'_

But, before she could think anymore, she heard the final bell ring over the loudspeakers. Everyone gathered their things and left the classroom, as the teen followed through the sea of other students to her locker. As she went to set her things in the storage space, _'even if Katsuki had his reasons it doesn't mean he had the right to treat Deku the way he does.'_ She thought to herself.

The girl brown eyes narrowed as a wave of determination flow throughout her body as she shut the locker door, and walked out looking for her target. Ochako stormed through the halls until she saw the familiar spiky ash blonde hair. _'If I'm going to find any answers I might as well go for the source.'_ The brunette let out a deep breath as she approached the blonde.

As per usual he was with the usual goons that follow him around, but they did not deter Ochako as she approached the bully. "Katsuki!" The blonde stopped what he was doing and turned his head slightly as he narrowed his eyes towards her. At that moment he looked like a tiger and one that looked pissed at the fact that she was in his territory. "Piss off round cheeks." Katsuki snarled at her to which one of his goons stood in front of her. "Hey there Ochako, how are you, hey!" The boy called out as the brunette pushed past the boy as she continued her mission.

"Katsuki, I need to talk to you!" She called out to which the blonde let out what sound like some sort of growl as he looked back to his goons. "Why don't you guys head to the arcade. I'll deal with this." To which the two boys obeyed as they left the two.

"I know you used to be friends with Deku when you were kids." The girl stated before the Katsuki could say anything. The blonde staid silent for a moment before he shut the locker door and turned back to give her an annoyed look. "So, now do as I say and go piss off." He stated as Katsuki began to walk off Ochako tried to stand in the boy's way, but her attempt was in vain as the blonde easily pushed her out of the way.

But it did not stop her as she continued her pursuit. "What happened between you two?" The girl asked as they walked through the halls. "Are you fucking deaf?" The insult didn't faze her as they exited the school and the boy took a left into an alleyway. "I just need answers, and no one knows why you all of a suddenly hated Deku."

As they went through the maze of alleys, Ochako made sure that she continued to pester Katsuki and it did not matter what he called her she still pursued until they came close to an exit out of the maze as the blonde spun around his heels and turned to the girl. "What is your fucking deal!" The blonde yelled in the girl's face, but she made sure to harden her stare in return. "As I've said over and over again, I need answers, and when I get them, then I'll leave you alone." The brunette explained to which Katsuki narrowed his eyes at the girl. "And if I don't?"

"Then I won't stop until you do." The two stared at each other in silence waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, the blonde snarled at her, "why do you care so fucking much?"

"Because he's my best friend. He is one of the kindest and most selfless people I've ever met. So, when I see you torment him the way you do ever since we were kids it hurts my heart. And when I found out the two of you were once friends, it made feel so sick that you know exactly what I know about him, and you still torture him. I don't like saying this since it's such an ugly word, but for you, I'll make an exception. I hate you Katsuki Bakugo!" The girl yelled at the top of her lungs.

For a moment, the blonde didn't say anything as he just stared at her with the raging fire that burned in his eyes. "Is that all? You're just pissed at how I treat your little crush?"

The girl was taken aback, "that has nothing to do with…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever round cheeks. I'll do this to get you off my fucking back. You want to know why I hate that nerd so much, fine!" The boy was about to continue until the two heard what sounded like tires stopping. Both teens looked towards the source to find a van stopped right at the exit of the alley.

"What the hell are you doing this isn't a road you jackass!" The blonde growled towards the van as the driver side door opened to reveal a man with messy black hair as he wore a dark blue jacket with a white v-neck under it and matched blue pants. But when Ochako saw the rest of him the girl's brown eyes became wider, as below the top lip up to his neck looked to have burned skin that was only staying on with staples. There were similar places such as his ears, wrists, and ankles that she could see, and as the man approached them, she saw his ice blue eyes.

Even Katsuki looked to be on edge as he seemed to ready himself for a fight, the new man let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed the back of his burned neck. "Man, why do I have to do this shit." The black-haired man flipped on some sort of switch in his car which caused something to let out a heavy hum. "Now, you both have two options. First, you can be peaceful and not make this any difficult, or well, I figured you two know the rest."

"Why don't you go piss off somewhere else human torch!" Katsuki yelled out while Ochako was trying to grab her phone, but the girl's hands were so sweaty that it almost made it almost impossible to grab it. The burned man let out a heavy sigh, "I figured that would be the case, Twice you know what to do."

"Aww, why do I have to go, aye, aye captain Dabi!" A voice yelled out as what looked to be six guys exiting the van. All of them wore what seemed to be a skin-tight black full-body suit, with the only colors being grey which covered the upper half of his head and as well as a single line on his arms, legs, and torso. The men all charged at the two, Ochako was finally able to grab her phone as she sprinted away from the action.

As she tried to open her phone, but a bright blue flame shot out in front of her. Ochako jumped back away from the incredible heat which caused her to lose her balance and landed on her rear as the brunette's phone flew out of her fingers. The girl could hear her heart race as adrenaline as she backed away until she felt a pair of arms grab her waist.

The brunette screamed at the top of her lungs as the man as she tried to wriggle out of the grab. "Get the fuck off of me!" She heard Katsuki yell out as a loud yelp erupted. "Oh my God, he killed number three, you bastard!"

Ochako, felt a hand cover her mouth to stop her screaming, "hush now, it time to go to sleep, as soon as I stick this thing in your, OW!" he roared as the girl bit the man's hand, "Dabi, she bit my finger!"

"Well send someone one of your clones to restrain her!" 'Dabi' called out Ochako looked over and saw the unconscious form of Katsuki lying on the ground with four of the masked men over him with what looked like a dark pool of mud. "You don't have to be so rude! This is why we are besties! C'mon you lazy bums do you want to live forever!"

The two of the men that stood over the blonde now went over to her as one of them tried to grab her legs even as she threw her kicks that were in vain. The other put something over her mouth, and now the world was becoming darker. _'No, this isn't what was supposed to happen! Mom, Dad, Deku!'_ She cried out as her body grew weaker, and weaker until it all went completely black.


	7. Ch 6: Stepping into Power

A/N: Hey everybody I apologize for the extra week in between these chapters I just felt that I needed to take some time to work more on chapters as well as things that are happening at college have held me up a little bit, I hope you all understand and I have decided to create my own Tumblr account so that I can update you all on the progress of these chapters as well as questions any of you want to ask about this story I am willing to do so. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter and that you all have a fantastic day! (Oh and one more thing spoiler warning for those who only watch the anime for My Hero Academia coming to a certain character I just thought I would let you all know before You start if you don't like that sort of thing)

* * *

Ever since Toshinori had known Izuku, the boy had never been known to be afraid of tests. Why would he, the boy was always smart. So, he was quite shocked to see Izuku being so jittery the night before they left. The poor kid almost looked like he was going to bounce all over the walls from how his nerves were acting up, it took Steve choking the boy out before they could put him to bed.

But, to be fair Toshinori couldn't blame the kid, as he looked at his rear-view mirror. Izuku looked like he was about to throw up, _'this isn't like the tests that his school would give him, our first run in with Aizawa proved that much.'_ The taller blondethought to himself.

Toshinori heard an audible sigh come from Steve as he took notice of the green-haired teen spacing out. "Izuku, you need to calm down. I've said this a thousand times already and I'll say it again. You. Will. Be. Fine."

"I know, but even with Full Cowl I still don't know what mister Aizawa is going to give me. What if I screw up with Full Cowl and end up destroying my body? What if he has a test that won't let me use it, or what if..."

"You're rambling again Izuku, and besides if what Steve has told me is true, you've been working hard at using One for All. So, there is no need to be worked up about it."

"Yeah, but what if what I can do now isn't enough, even with Full Cowl I still haven't made it passed using five percent of One for All. What if I get put into a situation that won't require me to put out more than five percent?" Izuku countered the taller blonde's statement which caused the Toshinori's eyes to slightly widen. _'So, he still hung up about that.'_ Steve had explained to the retired hero how the boy had really tried to improve on the output of One for All with no results.

Toshinori let out a heavy sigh, but before the taller man could say anything Steve beat him to the punch. "Izuku, you know that Rome wasn't built in a day, right?" The green-haired teen looked at the super soldier with a raised eyebrow.

"I know you want to get out there and be like Toshi, but you don't need to rush with your powers. It takes time to develop these things, and I wouldn't be surprised if Toshi had to learn a thing or two about his own powers as well." The American icon explained to which the hero nodded, "he's right. Even though I could control the entirety of One for All there was still a lot of things I needed to learn, so don't sweat it, young man, because you'll do great!"

Izuku nodded after hearing both men's explanations, even though the boy still seemed a little fidgety, the majority of his nervousness he had early seemed to subside. Toshinori gave Steve a slight nod, as a way to say, _thanks for the help_ , to which the super soldier gave his own nod in return.

A few minutes went by as they finally made it to the S.H.I.E.L.D facility as the taller blonde parked the car and the three went to the stadium there stood Aizawa, his slumped shoulders, and his tired, bloodshot eyes watched as the three approached him. "Well, it seems that you've made it back early, again. Well, that ruins my chance to take a nap, but hey, when do I get what I want, follow me."

"Hey, could you give me a moment with the kid, Aizawa?" Toshinori asked to which Eraser Head stared at the taller man and let out a heavy sigh, "sure, but make it quick I'd rather get over with it asap." The taller blonde then nodded over to Steve as the retired hero wanted it to be between both himself and the boy. To which the American icon nodded back and followed Aizawa into the building.

The green-haired teen looked back to Toshinori with a questioning stare as the mentor firmly grabbed the boy's shoulders. The boy looked up to the taller blonde, "now I want to tell you this, but this is it, you go through that door will lead not to just a test, but a whole new world. This isn't like the comics you've read in the past; the world is dangerous and it has people who are just as terrifying. So, tell me right here and now, are you sure you want to go through with this? We can stop right now, just say the word."

The boy's green eyes widened for a moment as Izuku's gaze lowered for a moment. Toshinori knew it might have been a little late to ask such a thing after everything they went through, but he wanted the teen to understand this was his choice, all the blonde had done was give Izuku the tools. The green-haired teen returned his gaze towards the boy's mentor, his green eyes held the same fire in the teen's eyes that Toshinori saw when the older hero had offered One for All to him.

Well, I've made it this far, I don't think it would be a good idea if I stopped while I'm ahead." Izuku stated to which Toshinori couldn't help, but let out a wide grin as he lightly pat the boy's shoulder. "I figured you say that, now one last thing."

The green-haired teen kept his gaze towards the older man, "back when you first saw me in as All Might, when I told why I smiled. I admit, when I look back on it I can't help but feel like I was just acting like a cynical old man." The boy looked to retort, but Toshinori shushed him. "Hey, let me finish before you start rambling."

"Now, back to what I was saying. But in all honesty, that's not where it started. Someone once told me, that in this world it is those who smile who is the strongest, because to them no matter what comes their way them smiling will tell everyone that nothing can take them down."

Toshinori stated as he pushed the corners of the boy's mouth into a makeshift smile as the blonde gave his usual wide grin. The taller male then motioned towards the door, "well the world awaits you, young man. Now show them what you can do!" The green-haired teen then let out his grin as he walked towards the door. The older man held his smile, _'You would have really liked him, Nana.'_ Toshinori thought to himself as he followed the teen inside the building.

It didn't take long for both the teen and the older male to reach both Steve and Shota at what looked to be a modified treadmill. "Okay, now let's get this part out of the way. This is simple you get onto this treadmill I want you to run on this a fast you possibly can. Don't worry about breaking this, it's specifically designed to handle enhanced individuals who could run at superhuman speeds and one more thing. Do not hold back, based on the results you get here will influence the outcome."

Eraser Head's eyes then narrowed his eyes at the boy, "if I find out that you are holding back, then it will affect negatively on your overall score." Izuku gave the man a nod as the teen approached the machine. Aizawa pulled out what looked to be a phone as the boy stepped on the machine. "Alright Midoriya, you have one minute, and begin." As soon as the agent said the word green electricity covered the boy's body as he activated Full Cowl and began to sprint.

Toshinori watched the interviewer as Aizawa focused his attention onto the screen of his phone as a multitude of numbers flashed across the screen. _'He is watching that boy like a hawk.'_ The older male understood the agent's reasoning as while the first time they met the disheveled man, he was simply pushing the boy's limit, but now this was serious. S.H.I.E.L.D only takes on the best, and this division made no exception.

…

Toshinori unlocked the door of his shop, he had just returned from eating dinner with Midoriya's after both the blonde and Izuku had told Inko about their little camping trip, and the two had convinced her that her son would be safe in the outdoors. The retired hero smiled when he thought back to her panicking about finding the right bug spray and sunscreen for her son, and was ready to start her own journey to the store to pick up supplies for the boy.

The man let out a light chuckle at how frantic the boy was as he tried to calm his mother down. _'Those two are a complete mess, but that's just who they are.'_ The blonde then sat down on his chair as he thought he should at least take a nap first before he would begin creating Izuku's schedule.

However, before he could shut his eyes, the man heard his phone begin to buzzing beside him. Curiosity poked at Toshinori's mind as he grabbed his phone and saw a number he didn't recognize. The blonde at first wanted to decline the call, but something stopped him as his finger pressed accept as if it had a mind of its own, his own interest continued as he put the device to his ear. "Hello, this is Toshinori Yagi speaking."

 **"Well, I'm quite glad that you decided to pick up the phone the first time around Toshinori."** The blonde stiffened as the voice rang through. **"Normally, most people would hang up with an unrecognizable phone number, but you aren't like everyone else, are you?"**

Toshinori let out a heavy sigh, "what do you want?"

 **"I know that our last conversation did not exactly end on the best of terms, but do try to be somewhat civil."** The voice explained, but that did not stop the blonde from clenching his teeth. "Normally I would, but last time I checked, you were the one who convinced Fury to have me retire."

There was silence on the line until it was broken by a sigh as what sounded to be the voice setting an object down. **"Look, I did not call you to try to defend myself for what I did in the past, you of all people know that I try to look towards the future."**

"So, what's the point of calling me then?"

 **"Well, it is quite simple, why Izuku Midoriya?"**

Toshinori eyes widened as he gripped the arm of his chair with his free hand, to the point where his knuckles turned chalk white. **"You should have known I would have seen him, as I make sure that I see those who wish to enter my division personally. So, explain to me what was the point of choosing him? While yes, his test score at his school show that he is quite intelligent, but that is as far as I can ascertain from your decision."**

"There's more to it than that."

 **"Really? Then explain, there are many more who are much better candidates who you could have to inherit One for All. I even brought in a team of Enhanced individuals his age that I brought in originally to pass down your power, but you refused then. So, what has changed now?"**

"The kid has a strong heart, a heart that belongs to a great hero!"

For a moment there was silence on the other side, **"That is insufficient. I would not be surprised if there are others who you could consider to be great heroes. Since if that were the case why did you not give One for All to mister Rodgers, as he would not only fit your criteria for a good hero, but he also has the body to easily house One for All as well."**

Toshinori heard his knuckles pop as he slowly picked himself out of his chair as the blonde felt his body began to turn into his muscled form as his usual wide grin turned into a scowl as his teeth as his deep voice boomed, "Now listen here, I know that kid may not seem like it at first glance. But, Izuku Midoriya _will be_ my successor, if you are calling me now then you know how his test with Aizawa went. That boy has shown, time and time again that he is without any doubt in my mind that he is worthy to be **my Legacy** , and you will not change my mind on that!"

The retired hero heard a deep sigh erupt on the other side, **"I guess we'll see about that."**

…

Toshinori tightly clenched his hands into fists, _'this kid's entire life people doubted him, and I am no exception to this. But now, I want to show everyone else what I see in him now.'_

"Okay, times up," Aizawa called out as Izuku began to slow his sprint into a full stop. "That was a little above thirty miles per hour, quite impressive, now follow me." The three followed

Aizawa over to the familiar location of the arena that they Izuku conducted his first test with the agent. However, the area had changed into what looked to be an obstacle course of some kind as it held walls and something similar to a jungle gym at a child's playground and at the end showed what looked to be a bright red button.

"This is an obstacle course; the objective is simple, press both buttons before time runs out." Eraser Head stated as he pointed to the button at the end, to what looked to be five large pillars pressed together and formed what looked to be stairs made for giants. "I will time you based on the results of your run earlier, now with that said, do you understand what is to be expected of you?" The disheveled man asked to which the green-haired boy nodded, "yes sir."

"Good now if the two of you can come with me please we will get started shortly." Both Toshinori quickly gave the boy a thumbs up and Steve pat the boy's shoulder before they quickly followed Shota. "Um excuse me Shota, but you didn't tell Izuku his time limit unless I missed something." Steve politely asked to which the agent quickly replied, "no, in most missions there will be points where there will not be any warning about how long you got, so if he has to bring out his best he might as well try to make every second count."

The three men reached a raised platform as it held what looked to be a keyboard of some kind. "What is that for?" Steve asked, to which Aizawa did not even face the super soldier as he nonchalantly stated, "you'll see in just a moment." The disheveled man then put his phone, "alright his time will be a minute and a half."

The agent then moved his face closer to what looked to be a microphone, "are you ready to begin Midoriya?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good, now START!"

Izuku quickly activated Full Cowl as he sprinted through the obstacle course, the teen quickly pushed through as made a plethora of vaults, jumps, and slides as cleared through the multiple walls and obstacles before him. The green-haired boy was even able to quickly fly through the jungle gym as he skipped multiple bars by using a combination of strength and momentum.

Toshinori looked down towards the timer on Aizawa's phone and grinned, _'it's been almost ten seconds and that kid has almost reached the first button, he must have underestimated the boy.'_

As that thought crossed through his mind Izuku reached over and slammed the button signaling he had finished the first part of the test. "Alright, beginning phase two." Quickly the agent pressed something on the keyboard. Suddenly, the floor began to shake as the five pillars began to change. The shortest pillar began to produce long metal planks that seemed only wide enough for one foot as they spread out randomly all across the pillar. "Time is still ticking Midoriya."

Aizawa stated as the teen looked awestruck for a moment, but the agent's voice shook him out of his trance. Izuku quickly used Full Cowl to scale up the pillar, the taller blonde thought as both he and the super soldier looked to each other and nodded showing their work at the woods was not in vain.

Eraser Head was also taking great notice as well as the boy began to reach the top at the one-minute mark he pressed another button and two objects flew past the men and up towards the boy. They looked to be the size of a basketball with one long tube on the front, "what's with those?" Toshinori quickly asked as they went straight for the teen.

Again, without turning to face the retired hero Eraser Head simply stated, "on the field, anything can happen, whether it be unknown terrain or other combatants. I figured the both of you can already understand that SHIELD only looks for the best of its agents, and our division is no exception. So, if an agent cannot handle something not going their way, then they would not stand a chance out in the real world."

After the agent's explanation Izuku had reached the second pillar, it's floor to be constantly moving as what looked to be slices of the pillar about a foot wide kept on rotating throughout the area at what a appeared to be random intervals. However, before the green-haired teen could have the chance to think of a way through the obstacle the three flying drones from earlier had begun firing what looked to be blue balls of electricity at the boy.

Both the super soldier and the older hero looked at the agent with shock in their eyes after seeing one of the balls hitting Izuku, causing the teen to let out a small shout of pain. "don't worry it's not anything dangerous, it's more of for stunning rather than anything too dangerous." The disheveled man explained as he began to press another button to release what looked to be a large net of some kind, but that didn't stop either of them from worrying, especially when they looked at the time which showed thirty-five seconds left.

The green-haired teen must have figured this as well as began to make his way through, but not even four steps in before Izuku lost his footing. He then began to roll away as the flying balls began to press on their advantage and continued their attacks against the boy. This caused Izuku to fall to the side against the pillar, but the drones did not stop their assault, causing the boy to use Full Cowl to launch himself away.

However, the boy seemed to have miscalculated as when he tried to reach the end of the second pillar, his hand had barely touched the surface before falling towards the shortest pillar. "IZUKU!" Toshinori screamed as his heart raced as the twenty-five-second mark has passed, the boy quickly grabbed one of the planks on the side of the shortest pillar. The taller blonde heard an audible sigh of relief from Steve as he was tightly gripping the side of the platform they were on. "You can give up here, there is no shame in admitting defeat."

Aizawa stated on the intercoms, this caused the blonde to grit his teeth, _'no, not yet, you can't just let it end this early!'_ Toshinori remembered back when both he and the boy had first started training Izuku's body, and the older man had found the boy had overworked himself. The blonde had scolded the teen, but he remembered vividly the look on the boy's face as he laid on the ground gripping the dirt with all the strength he could, almost and what Izuku said next had always shook the man to his core.

 _"There are others who have had powers all of their lives. I need to work harder than anyone else! I want to do more than just pass by, I will go further beyond that. So that one day I can become an amazing hero, like you!"_ Toshinori felt his body begin to enlarge, _'I want you to be even better than me young man. Soon you will prove to the world that not only you are my one true successor, but someone who create hope for everyone in this world!'_

"Young man, you will go further than anyone, for you will go, PLUS ULTRA!" Both Steve and Shota looked towards All Might as he boomed the last of his sentence.

But, something seemed to spark in Izuku as green electricity surged through his body as he quickly climbed his way to the top of the pillar and sprinted his way to the next. The drones flew straight towards the boy, but he was ready for them as he quickly dodged their shots. Izuku then grabbed one of the drones and with as much strength as he possibly could throw it at the other completely disabling it. The teen quickly sprinted towards the second pillar, All Might watched as the boy quickly figured his way through the obstacle, fifteen seconds left on the clock.

Aizawa pressed another button on the keyboard and what looked to be a heavily armored robot with a bright light at the back of its head, the machine did not deter the boy as he continued his way towards it. The automaton threw a slow punch towards the boy who easily avoided it, Izuku seemed to take notice of the glowing part of its head. As the robot began to throw another attack at him, the boy chose to go head-on as he used the limb to propel himself over the machine and grabbed the glowing part and yanked it out of its head.

As the automaton fell limp Izuku looked up towards the third pillar as it held what seemed multiple ladders of differing lengths scattered in front of him, with the last pillar barely peeking out above it. Ten seconds, _'there's no way he can make it in time, not even with Full Cowl.'_ The retired hero thought to himself. It appeared that Izuku came to a similar conclusion as he then used as all of the power he could to leap straight up into the air and as he reached his zenith the boy then threw the glowing object to the ground which caused an explosion to launch the boy straight towards the pillar.

Seven seconds, Izuku then used five percent of One for All to push himself towards the pillar. Five seconds, the teen then rolled onto the platform, four seconds, the green-haired boy leaped towards the button, three seconds, and with all his might Izuku slammed his hand onto the button ending the test.

"YES, THAT'S MY BOY!" Toshinori exclaimed as he launched himself towards where the green-teen, who let out a small yelp as he was surprised by the hero's entrance. However, this didn't deter the hero as the muscular man quickly pulled the boy into an incredibly tight hug, "gah-can you let go, I think you're going to break my spine!" The teen breathed out, "Oh yes, my apologies it's just that you scared me at the last bit there, but even then, I did not doubt you for a moment. And in the end, you proved yourself once again young man!"

"Now let us return to the others!" All Might exclaimed as he put one under the boy's legs, "Um, I think that is necessa-AHH!" Toshinori ignored the boy as he leaped down towards both Shota and Steve. All Might beamed towards Eraser Head, "see that Aizawa I told you that he would succeed!"

Both the agent and super soldier stared at the retired hero silently with the disheveled man continuing his stoic gaze, while Steve tried his best to hold back an amused smile. "Could you please put me down, this is really embarrassing." Toshinori looked down, and it dawned on him how small Izuku looked while he carried the teen. As a result, the taller man quickly set the boy down as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

Eraser head let out a heavy sigh as he walked towards Izuku, "well as you probably figured, you made it within the time limit means that you passed my test. However…" Shota's dark eyes quickly went from nonchalant, to complete seriousness. "What you pulled off, in the end, was not only incredibly risky but incredibly dangerous. So, you better get this through your skull, but in the field, it's risky moves like that, which can end up hurting others around you, or it could end up killing someone, only do it as a last resort, understand?" Izuku nodded, "of course sir."

"Good now, follow me, there is one more thing we have to do can make you officially apart of SHIELD," Aizawa stated as he began to walk towards the entrance. Steve quickly went up to Izuku and playfully rubbed the boy's messy green hair as the three caught up to Eraser Head. They walked up to the main building and as they entered Toshinori could visibly see the boy shaking whether it was either from sheer excitement or nervousness, but either way, it made the retired hero smile even wider.

As the disheveled man led the trio throughout the building until Toshinori started to begin to feel a sense of familiarity with his surrounding, but he couldn't put a finger on what it was. Finally, Aizawa stopped in his tracks as he turned towards Izuku. "Now, before you officially join you need to set up a…"

"BOOM!" A large explosion erupted behind what looked to be a heavy set of steel doors as dark smoke escaped through the small cracks. The agent let out an annoyed sigh, "why does this have to happen to me…I didn't ask for any of this." However, before Aizawa could continue his rant, a male figure threw the doors open and pushed his way through the dark cloud as he went into a coughing fit. "Damnit Hatsume, what did I tell you? It wasn't ready yet!"

 _'Wait I've heard that voice before, could it be?'_ Toshinori wondered as new voice entered into the fray, "failure is what breeds true success mister Shield, and I want to make sure all of my babies are perfect!" All Might felt his smile widen as the male figure emerged from the smoke revealing a man with messy light brown hair and a goatee of the same color, the man took off his glasses that were currently covered in soot along as he began to clean them. "Yes, but you did not even have a chance to improve the design before you tested it again, disobeying my-Toshi?"

As the man put on his glasses and his aqua blue eyes widen as he noticed the retired hero who walked up to the man, "Dave, it's good to see you again old friend!" The taller man stated as he embraced his friend, the two men laughed. "wait what is a 'Toshi' I don't have one of those?" The second voice emerged from the door as the smoke from earlier had cleared, revealing a girl around Izuku's age with bright pink hair that looked to be long and unevenly cut, with a set of goggles over her head, and her eyes looked to be yellow, but even with the unique colors of her eyes, what stood out the most was how they looked to have crosshairs over her pupils.

"This is Toshinori Yagi; he's an old friend of mine back when I first started at SHIELD."

"And this is David Shield! He's the designs some of the greatest uniforms and gadgets in the entire agency; I wouldn't be surprised if he were as smart as Tony Stark himself!"

As the two men introduced each other, David rubbed the back of his head as he let out a light chuckle, "I wouldn't say that I've made a lot of great things…But let's not worry about that, Mei why don't you…" The brown-haired man looked over and let out a heavy sigh, as he saw the girl return to a bench to work on another project. "Well that was Mei Hatsume, she's like an apprentice of mine."

Toshinori then noticed how David began to spot Steve, and the taller man had given his friend a light push towards the American icon, who quickly walked up and shook the super soldier's hand. "I-it's a pleasure to meet you mister Rodgers; I was one of the few who worked on your current uniform." The designer explained to Steve which gave him as he shook the brunette's hand in return. "The pleasure is all mine."

"So, how do you like it so far?"

"It's good the helmet is a lot better, it doesn't feel like my head is being squeezed as much as the other one had."

David let out a small laugh, "Well I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you come to me if any problems arise. And who is this?" The brunette looked to the teen who still looked to be a little jittery as he seemed to understand why he is here. "I-I'm Izuku Midoriya sir."

"Heh, you already have more manners than Mei." The designer stated as he let out a small chuckle. "He's apart of the new team of Enhanced Sir has created." Aizawa stated, which made the man's aqua blue eyes widened, "oh, well I'm glad there are some more Enhanced around Mei's age, besides having an old man like me around."

Izuku's eyes had become wider, "wait you're both Enhanced?" David nodded in response, _'The boy's surprise is understandable, unlike the girl earlier Dave does not look too different than most people.'_ Toshinori thought to himself, as the designer continued. "Yep, Hatsume in there can magnify her vision to make anything appear closer to her, which helps when putting in specific details on our designs, and I can bend my fingers more than most people," as to prove his point the man pushed his index finger all the way to the back of his hand without any effort. "It's not as flashy as most, but it helps when getting something in a hard to reach places."

"Now that we've finished with the introduction, I assume that agent Aizawa had brought you here to get your uniform fitted." As if on cue the girl from earlier poked her head out of the door. "Ho ho ho, did I just hear, what I think I heard~?" She asked, and she looked to be ready to burst into song.

The man let out a small smile towards the girl and gave her a nod; the pink haired girl quickly sprinted towards Izuku as she began to push the boy. "This is a great day as I get a chance to work on more babies~!" The boy looked around nervously as he was forcefully entering into the steel doors.

"W-wait, w-what are you doing!"

"I need to take in your measurements, and there's no time for tape so I will do it by hand for me to give you some good babies!"

"W-what do you mean-AH!"

David let out a heavy sigh as he followed the two teens into the steel doors, "welp, I better get in there before she scares the boy too much, or worse, it's been good to see you Toshi." To which the blonde nodded towards the designer as he entered the steel doors.

"Hey Toshi, could I ask you something?"

"Sure, what do you have in mind?"

"Earlier, when Izuku was in that trial you yelled out, 'plus ultra,' where did that come from?"

All Might was silent for a moment as he watched Izuku excitedly talk to David and Mei. "It's something I thought of a while ago. I thought it would be a phrase that I would use, you know like something going above and beyond one's own limits." The retired hero explained to which the super soldier couldn't help but smile towards the taller man.

"And people say that I am corny." Toshinori couldn't help, but chuckle, _'it might be silly. However, if the kid is going to survive in this new world, he has to break his limits to be the best.'_

Minutes went by as both Dave and Mei helped to understand what Izuku wanted with his uniform, the teen had been preparing for this moment since he was a child and especially during the time he had been training for One for All. When the three had finished their discussion, Izuku held a wide smile on his face, "well, I guess you three got everything over with?" All Might asked as he kept his more muscular form, to which the boy nodded, the girl seemed to giddily skip over towards the workbench, "I get to make new babies, my life is truly great~!"

"Yes, but we have to get things through to Sir Nighteye before we begin, but after that, it'll be a couple of weeks before it's finished since we are starting from scratch, but if you need any upgrades to let us know, got it." The green-haired teen nodded.

The designer patted Izuku's shoulder as he reached over to shake All Might's hand, "it's been good to see you again Toshi. I still have that suit whenever you ever come back."

"You too Dave, I hope to use it again someday as well."

"I'm actually surprised to see you again, after what had happened between you and Sir Nighteye."

"What does he mean?" Steve asked which caught Izuku attention, as well as a confused expression from Dave. _'Sir Nighteye, I've heard that name before.'_ Izuku thought to himself as the hero let out a heavy sigh. "You see Sir Nighteye is the head of the Enhanced division, and…well he used to be, gah, well the best way I could describe him as my old sidekick."

Both the teen and super soldier looked to Toshinori with wide eyes. _'Wait, now I remember!'_ Sir Nighteye had always been a character that was shrouded in mystery in the All Might comics, but he was often thought of as the brains and had often supported All Might in the stories he was featured in. Although what made him interesting was the fact that he never had been seen in any panel of the comics, which made everyone, especially the teen wonder what the man looked like.

 _'So, what did David mean earlier about what had happened between the two of them?'_ The green-haired teen wondered as he looked to Toshinori and as if he could read the boy's mind All Might let out a heavy sigh. "We had an argument a few years back and we haven't spoken much since then. But don't worry about that, you're here and so there's nothing to worry about!"

However, despite hearing his mentor's reassurance, Izuku felt a sense of uneasiness from the old hero, but Izuku chose not to think too much on it as he nodded towards Toshinori. "Well, it seems that you've finished with your uniform, now if you come with me Midoriya-hraah." Aizawa yawned, the boy began to make his way towards the disheveled agent with both of his mentors following suit.

Aizawa glared at the two blondes with crimson red eyes, even causing Steve to freeze in place, and Toshinori to lose his muscular form. The three looked with wide eyes as Eraser Head continued his eye fixated on the two older men. "Only Midoriya is allowed to go, boss' orders. Wait out in the main lobby, or walk around I don't care, but this part Midoriya must do alone."

After the dark-haired man's explanation as Aizawa as his eyes returned to their original dark color as he walked away from the group. The teen felt a chill go up through his spine as Izuku turned around to both heroes. Toshinori looked to be completely dumbfounded to notice the teen while Steve gave Izuku a nod to reassure the boy. "Did you not hear me Midoriya?" The green-haired teen looked back to the agent, _'even though I did the trials mister Aizawa put me through by myself, it didn't feel that way since I felt that both Steve and Toshinori had my back. But, if I need to do this alone in order to move a step closer to my dream, I will take it.'_ Now with a look of complete determination on his face, he marched towards the agent ready to brave whatever challenge lay ahead of him.

Both Izuku and Eraser Head walked in silence for some time; the disheveled man had stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Sir Nighteye is often seen as a strict man; many people are scared of him because of that fact."

Izuku looked at the agent with surprise as he was the one to break the silence. "However, despite that, he has a soft spot for people who make him laugh, so when you see him I suggest you put your best foot forward and throw out the best joke you can think of." The teen was awestruck at the fact that the tired agent was giving him advice. _'Wait this was the same guy who had purposely tried to make me fail the first time we met, is he actually trying to help me?'_

"Why are you giving me advice?" Izuku questioned as curiosity began to scratch his mind, Aizawa simply shrugged his shoulders as he continued his walk. "Simple, even though I may have passed you whether or not you enter the program is if Sir Nighteye allows it, as anything that happens here the buck stops with him. I told you that SHIELD only hires the best and I wasn't exaggerating on that. I do believe that you have proven to me that you definitely have potential, and I believe that you will have a place here."

Izuku was taken aback by Aizawa's response; the green-haired teen smiled at the man. The two continued to walk to a beautiful redwood door with a plaque that stated, **"Head of Enhanced Division: Sir Nighteye"** The green-haired boy let out a loud gulp as he focused on the sign. _'Okay, calm down Izuku, it's like what mister Aizawa said earlier, I will put my best foot forward and make him laugh.'_

He let took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh, there was one thing Izuku could use that had always worked on Ochako. Agent Aizawa grabbed the door handle and pushed entrance wide open, the boy's green eyes widen as he saw room before him. It looked to be the complete embodiment of order with books set up neatly in their respective shelves on the left side of the room, and a long line of file cabinets set to its right. Just from the teen's first impression if he hadn't known any better Izuku would have thought the room looked like it belonged to some CEO he'd see in movies with the light grey walls and windows that covered the end of the office overlooking the area around the building.

However, what surprised Izuku the most was the plethora of All Might memorabilia. From the multiple posters from different eras of the character in his multitude of appearances, action figures, even when the boy entered the room he noticed multiple graphic novels that were for All Might, and the boy felt a wave of excitement flooded throughout his body as he noticed a frame with All Might in his Silver age costume. _'Wait is that All Might Versus Toxic Chainsaw!'_

 _'Wow, not even my own room has this many All Might collectibles, and people say that I am All Might's biggest fan!'_ Izuku wondered to himself, "I brought the boy here just as you said, Sir."

Aizawa stated returning the teen back into reality as he now had a clear view on Sir Nighteye. "Perfect timing as per usual agent Aizawa, but can you at least say it with some enthusiasm!"

The teen looked to the man with a surprised look as the man looked to be in his late thirties, he wore a clean grey suit, a white shirt under the jacket, and the only color that appeared on the man's clothes was red with white dots spread across it.

Eraser Head let an annoyed sigh, Izuku took the opportunity as Aizawa's body covered the teen's for a moment and he used his hands to cover his face. _'This is my chance to put it forward here goes nothing!'_ As the agent moved away to reveal the boy, "my name Izuku Midoriya, and I AM HERE!" the teen bellowed out as he had contorted his face to look near identical to All Might's face.

 _'I'll be honest I don't have the greatest sense of humor, but with Ochako she has always said my jokes were "so bad they were good" kind of funny. So, hopefully, the same thing works on him.'_ The green-haired boy reasoned, but Izuku heard a smack beside him as Eraser Head's hand was over his face. However, the teen froze into place as he looked to Sir Nighteye, Izuku now saw the man's green hair with three blonde streaks on his smooth hair and golden eyes that now appeared as if they were daggers piercing the boy's soul as they were set behind his gold-rimmed glasses. Izuku could not help but let out an audible gulp as he noticed Nighteye's clasped hands grew tighter as the man's knuckles becoming chalk white. "Tell me mister Midoriya, was your intent to make fun of All Might?"

Now Nighteye had risen from his desk to his full height, Izuku could not help but take a step back. The green-haired man looked to be as tall, if not taller than Toshinori in his regular form as Nighteye's arms and legs looked to be long and slender. The head of the Enhanced Division continued his glare towards Izuku as he approached the teen, "I assume that Toshinori has explained how I was his partner."

"Y-yes, but-gah!" Before Izuku could reply Nighteye had grabbed the boy's face and visually inspected it. "Even then, this a poor imitation, as his face does not even have a wrinkle here." The green-haired man explained as he pressed his fingers against Izuku's forehead. "Even different artists keep a reference of All Might's visage as to keep a consistency between comics. However, you seem to lack that, Aizawa please send the boy off."

Both Izuku and the Agent were taken aback by the man's response. _'Holy crap, he rejected me just from that! I need to think of a way to fix this!'_

"Wait a minute Sir; you haven't…"

"All Might and the Terror of Vinaigrette-Man!"

Both men turned back towards the boy's outburst, with the agent looking quite confused, while Sir Nighteye raised an eyebrow as he kept his glare towards the teen. "I am well aware of that issue, what of it?"

"W-well in that issue the villain had planned on infecting an entire city's water supply by changing it into the water, and to stop it All Might had to swim through the water to close the pipe, and as he got out he said…"

"Even if my eyes maybe stinging today, at least my skin will make me look ten years younger."

Izuku focused on Nighteye and nodded. "Yeah, and the way the panel is drawn it had always made laugh, and I always tried to copy that look so that I could make other people laugh too."

Izuku made sure to take notice of the spark of interest in the green-haired man's eyes as he watched the boy talk. "Interesting, that is quite an odd choice, as it is not well-known comic nor does it come on fan sites as most regard the issue as too silly even for the time it was created."

"Yeah, but it was my first comics I found as a kid. It may not be the best comic or even the funniest, but it always holds a special place to me."

Izuku explained as he let out a small smile appeared his face at the thought of the old comic, but the memory was interrupted as Sir Nighteye cleared his throat. "Yes, Shota do you have the document setup?"

Eraser Head looked surprised at his boss' sudden change, but it disappeared quicker than it started as he nodded to the green-haired man. "Yes sir, I have sent to you, all it needs is the both the boy's and your signature." Nighteye nodded, "good, now will you leave us." The agent nodded, "yes sir."

Aizawa's boss then stopped the disheveled man, "say it again, with feeling Shota." Eraser Head let out a heavy sigh, "Yes Sir!" The dark-haired man tried to exclaim, but it sounded more annoyed if anything. As the agent exited the door, Izuku let out a sigh of relief, _'jeez, I may not have made him laugh, but at least he didn't throw me out instead.'_

The head of the Enhanced Division then returned to his desk as he brought out a tablet. "Now, Midoriya, I figured agent Aizawa has told you we want the best am I correct." Izuku furiously nodded as the man went to a printer as it warmed up. "Good, however, due to the fact you are so young, you as well as the team you would be set up with would do things more street-level rather than anything too drastic, like the Avengers. So, you at are considered more of a C-team, unless you find a way to rise up in the ranks, and the higher you go the more dangerous the mission. Do you understand?" The teen once again nodded again as he watched Sir Nighteye take out a pen and sign his name on the paper.

"Very good, once you sign this paper you will be officially apart of SHIELD and then think of this as an internship so that you can gain experience and train with your powers." Nighteye finished his explanation as he held out his pen toward the boy. Izuku let out a deep sigh and he reached out towards the pen. However, just before the teen's hand was just about to touch it the pen quickly disappeared. Izuku was dumbfounded as he looked back to see it a couple inches away, _'wait I thought it was over here, maybe I just imagined it.'_

As he was about to try again a hand quickly grabbed the boy's, Izuku almost jumped back as he looked towards to see Nighteye's golden eyes returning to the daggers he had earlier. The teen looked back at the man with a sense of unease overtaking him. "Umm Sir, I-I can't sign this if I don't have the pen."

"Oh, I'm well aware that" Izuku froze as the middle-aged man let go of the boy's hand as he stood back up twirling the pen in his hand. "But you see there is one problem I cannot overlook, what is it that you can contribute to me, and SHIELD as a whole?"

Izuku raised an eyebrow towards Sir Nighteye who continued to flip the pen in between his hand. "It is quite obvious what you gain by me employing you, as you would be able to have the best chance at honing on One for All, as well as the number of connections you receive even though you will be starting near the bottom of the field."

"For example, All Might contributed to the organization by using not only his immense power but his wit and charm as he made everyone's day better just by being around him. But, what do I gain, yes you are quite intelligent, however, so are your teammates, your power gives you potential, but then the team you will be with have extraordinary powers as well, and it is most certainly not your sense of humor as proven before. So, I ask you one more time, what do I benefit by bringing you to SHIELD?"

Izuku stood there dumbstruck as the man continued to play with the pen in his hand as he glared towards the boy. _'What do I contribute?'_ To be honest he had not thought about before so he could not think of a better way to explain it.

"Well I see that my question has you quite puzzled, so how about I make this simple, let us play a game." The man stated as he threw the pen in the air and caught it without looking, "the objective is simple, take this pen out of my hand and sign your name within a three-minute time limit. As soon as the pen touches the paper touches will make you victorious, oh and you can do whatever you can to my office as long as you steal my pen. Oh, and to make things easier for you, I'll let you on a secret very few know, like most who enter this division I myself am Enhanced. And my power is known as Foresight, whomever I touch and look into their eyes I can 'see' what they can for the next hour."

Izuku felt a large pit in his stomach as Sir Nighteye finished his explanation, the man then let out an ominous grin. "I'm quite generous aren't I, giving you a chance to redeem yourself after that pitiful display of a joke earlier." The teen's hands turned into fists as he looked at Sir Nighteye with a determined look accepting his challenge.

"Well let us begin shall we, your three minutes starts now." Izuku quickly activated Full Cowl and launched himself towards Sir Nighteye, "a frontal assault…" The man asked, to which the teen quickly sidestepped and leaped towards the pen, "or so you want me to believe." Izuku then was surprised to see the pen vanish as Nighteye's golden eyes replaced it as the pen now reappeared twirling in the man's opposite hand. "You'll have to do better than that." Izuku gritted his teeth, _'continue your attack, just like Steve has said when you first don't succeed, redirect and adapt.'_

Izuku quickly used the desk as he flipped over Nighteye to make another attempt for the pen, but once again the man simply slid his way around the boy without breaking eye contact with the teen. "You won't go anywhere with a simple assault like that. I thought mister Rodgers would have taught you better." The green-haired boy let out a grunt of frustration as he launched himself back away from Nighteye. _'He's right, I will go nowhere if I keep this up! Time to change things up.'_

The green-haired teen then began to leap onto the walls as he bounced around the man, _'he might be able to see what I will do next, but there is a difference between predicting an attack and reacting to that attack.'_ Izuku had used this technique on Steve a few times, and it was one of the few things that could guarantee a few hits on the super soldier as it was hard for even him to predict where the boy would attack. So, it made sense if the inverse worked, right?

 _'Only one way to find out!'_ Izuku then launched himself towards the man's back, "is that the best you got?" As the green-haired teen reached out to grab the pen, once again the man simply stepped to the side as the boy flew past him. Izuku looked back to see Nighteye's condescending eyes. "I have yet to grasp why of all people Toshinori chose you to inherit One for All." The boy ignored the man's comment as he continued his assault, the teen pushed his hand against the floor and launched himself back at the middle-aged man. "Compared to all of the candidates that could have been chosen, you happened to be the most mediocre," Nighteye stated as he threw the pen up and away from the boy, Izuku chose to take the opportunity as he used his momentum to launch himself off of the wall and towards the pen. However, as he grew closer, another object came into view, a ruler? The object quickly smacked the pen off of its trajectory making the boy miss once again. Izuku tried to brace himself as the wall became rapidly approached him, but he was too late as he felt his shoulder slam into it.

Izuku gritted his teeth as he felt his shoulder ache from the force of the impact, "why do you continue trying, you must know by now that you have no counter to my Foresight." The teen then glared towards the man, "because, both Steve and Toshinori told me that I can succeed, that I can become a great hero!"

"To a nobody like you? I find that unlikely." Izuku then clenched his hands to a point where he felt the bones popping, but he did not care to notice as he continued his glare. "I'll succeed, and I will do so by taking that pen."

"Well then you have two minutes left, so you might as well try, even if you cannot succeed as my Foresight is never wrong." Izuku let out a maniacal grin as adrenaline pumped through his body. "Haven't you heard Nighteye, there is a first time for everything!" The boy charged towards the green-haired man. _'I will show him why I will be All Might's successor!'_

However, as a minute went by with constant attempts, all ending with the pen just escaping his grasp, now the boy has stopped the assault, _'no matter how I approach it, he always finds a way to escape. There has to be a weakness to his Foresight, something he purposefully left out when he explained it, but what is it?"_

"You're seeing it aren't you." Izuku's train of thought left him as he looked back at Nighteye.

"Even if I didn't have Foresight I can see your uneasy look on your face and it tells me all I need to know." The teen charged straight towards the green-haired man. "You know I was interested in seeing your capabilities myself, ever since agent Aizawa had brought you in for the first interview." The man explained as he continued to dodge around the boy. "However, even though

I respect Toshinori's judgment. Now that I've got to see your capabilities, I still cannot comprehend you being chosen for such a great power."

"Even now you show your doubt of the success you claimed earlier the longer our bout has continued. Such blatant display of your feeling shows me how incompetent you truly are. If you truly want to succeed the mantle All Might has given you then must know that you must always be vigilant even if the situation is dire as it will affect everyone around you. If you cannot do that in a safe environment such as my office, how will you hold up on the field of battle where anything can happen." Nighteye explained as he dogged another myriad of attempts to grab the pen. "You have thirty seconds left how will you succeed now Midoriya?"

 _'What can I do if he knows every move I make then how do I counter that…unless.'_ With a plan in mind, he made one last charge towards Nighteye. The teen jumped above the man as he used Full Cowl to throw a large gust of wind into the leader's eyes, which in turn propelled him towards the file cabinets. _'He said he could see my movements, but he never said anything about inanimate objects.'_ Izuku quickly opened the cabinet and took an arm full of what was contained inside of it, "I'm sorry Sir, but you said that I could do whatever I wanted to the office!" The teen roared as he tossed the contents towards Nighteye blocking his view. _'If he can't predict random object than this could be my chance, it may not be perfect, but it is all I got, and I don't have time to see if I am right, so I'm going all in!'_

"I will show you Sir Nighteye" Izuku roared as he launched himself towards the green-haired man, "that I am worthy to be Toshinori's legacy!" He had everything right what he had thrown covered his attack, and it can succeed as the green-haired teen reached for the pen, that was until he saw the man's golden eyes staring at him head-on. Nighteye did not even break eye contact as he effortlessly moved his arm above the teen, as Izuku flew past him.

The teen was shocked as he went past the man, as flew towards the wall where Izuku saw the frame with the comic book, with little time to react the teen moved his body just enough to just miss it. He then slammed into the wall with his shoulder first, Izuku could feel his shoulder ache from the impact. "Your time is up" Nighteye stated, the boy's heart dropped, _'I screwed it up, I guess in the end I am truly…'_

"What happened back there, you had a strategy and yet when it failed you just shattered into pieces, did you somehow lose focus?" The head of the Enhanced Division asked, all Izuku could do was shake his head, "so it was a blunder then?" Once again Izuku shook his head as he pointed towards the frame, "that's the original print of 'All Might Versus Toxic Chainsaw' isn't it?"

"When it was first released in the early seventies, parents quickly complained how it was too violent for their children, so it was pulled from shelves. They recently re-made the story, but there are only twenty copies of the original print, I can tell it's an original with the pricing on the right-hand corner. I have heard they go for over a hundred thousand dollars, so I didn't want to destroy something so priceless."

Izuku clenched his fist. _'I made sure to keep note of my surroundings during that rush as I didn't want to damage anything because if I had any of the things Sir Nighteye had, I wouldn't want anyone to damage them. I guess in the end my caution has cost me my chance to work at SHIELD.'_

But, before he could continue his self-berating, the boy heard what he thought to be a soft chuckle, "how interesting…" Izuku quickly looked up to see Nighteye holding the pen out to him. "B-but I failed."

"Yes, but when did I ever say your failure would mean that you could not join?" Izuku only looked at the green-haired man with confusion towards the pen, "I had long since decided that you would join, but make no mistake Midoriya I still do not agree with you being Toshinori's successor, but I cannot change his mind even if I tried. Now take this pen, and you will become an official member of SHIELD." The boy then nodded as he grabbed the pen and walked over to sign the contract. "Good, you will begin tomorrow at ten, now leave my office and Aizawa will take you to the main lobby."

Izuku nodded as he walked back towards the door exiting the office, but as the teen touched the handle he looked back towards Nighteye who had begun to clean the mess Izuku made earlier, "I'll prove it too you, I'll prove that I am worthy to be Toshinori's legacy." The leader stopped as he looked over to Izuku, "we'll see."

…

When Aizawa had brought the teen to the main lobby where a concerned Toshinori and a calm Captain America, When Izuku told them that he had been accepted into SHIELD which excited Toshinori to the point where he turned into his muscular form to give the teen a spine-crushing hug, much to Steve's enjoyment.

Now, he had just been dropped off by Toshinori; his mentor explained that he would pick up the boy tomorrow morning. While Steve stated that while he wouldn't be able to see the boy tomorrow due to a mission that had recently popped up, but whenever he returned, the super soldier had promised to continue their training. Izuku couldn't help, but feel elated as he skipped multiple stairs on his way to his apartment. He had texted Ochako earlier asking if she and her parents would be okay to meet with him and his mom. He had yet heard back from her, but it shouldn't take long, and he couldn't wait to talk to his friend again.

Once he reached his apartment door, the boy took out his key and unlocked the door. "Mom, I'm home!" The green-haired teen set his bag to the side _'I'll put it up later.'_ Izuku heard the familiar sound of her feet quickly approaching him, he chalked it up to her not seeing him for so long, and he couldn't blame her. "I texted Ochako earlier if she…Mom?"

The boy looked over to see his mother whose green eyes flooded with tears as he let out a small grin. "Hey I know it has been a while, but don't you think" Izuku was interrupted as his mother embraced him as she cried into the boy's chest. _'Something isn't right.'_

"Mom?" She looked up at Izuku. "It's Ochako…she's missing!"


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey Everyone, here is a new Chapter for all of you all, and I'd like to tell all of you that I'm going to try to post new chapters every other week from here on out. One last thing before you all begin to read this chapter I wanted to tell you all that I'm going to move the rating from Teen to Mature as this chapter might make those of you who might be somewhat squeamish with the contents of this chapter. Also sorry that the chapter name is blank I couldn't fit so I put it down below. But with that out of the way, I hope you all have a good day and enjoy this chapter!

* * *

 _ **Ch 7: What Doesn't Kill You Only Makes You...Stranger**_

Ochako let out a violent cough that caused her dry throat to ache; the brunette slowly rubbed her throat making sure not to put all of her fingers on her neck. The teen didn't know how long it had been since she was taken, the only thing she remembered after that was the immense pain that had quickly awaken her.

It had felt as if a knife was cutting through every nerve in her body. Ochako remembered how she cried out in agony as tears poured out of her eyes, all the brunette could do was beg, the girl screamed out for her family, while her mind pleaded that all of this was a dream. The brunette tried to pull on the restraints that bound her wrists and ankles onto the table trying to find some way to become free, but it was to no avail as she felt many hands push her down. Ochako tried everything she could to push back hoping that she would free herself, but then she felt a small prick in her arm and then darkness. However, she could still feel the non-stop throbbing throughout her body.

Ochako looked towards her free hand as she stared at the pads of her fingers as they were now pink ovals, the girl recalled how when she woke up to find herself in a pale blue gown and a light chill to remind the teen of the lack of clothes she had beneath them. She began to freak out when she first saw the pink pads as the brunette tried to brush them off as if they were insects, however, what happened next was something that she could have never predicted.

As soon as the brunette had all of her fingers pressed against her skin she felt a small shock move throughout her spine, Ochako had let out a small yelp as a result of the shock and tried to push herself as far away as possible. But as soon as she began to shove herself back something felt odd as she started to move, up? The teen quickly grabbed whatever she could to keep herself grounded as a multitude of emotions swelled inside of her, panic, confusion, but what had rapidly overtaken her was nausea.

She felt like her stomach was doing somersaults until she reached the point that her body could no longer handle as she began to vomit. Her vision began to darken as gravity had quickly returned forcing the girl to land face first into her bile. When the girl woke up, she was back on her bed, and the vomit was now gone.

But Ochako still could smell the puke that was on her face, even though it was cleaned off after the teen had woken up. The girl thought that the smell would go away as she got used to the stench, but it still lingered. Ochako wondered if it was her brain continuously reminding her that none of this was a dream.

The brunette stopped massaging her throat as she turned towards the pillow on her bed and grabbed it while making a conscious effort not to put her thumb on it. Ochako then grabbed the other side of it with her free hand following the same motions of the other appendage. The girl let out a deep breath as she pressed her thumbs against the cushion, once again she felt the familiar shock through her spine. The brunette then let go of the pillow as it began to float in the air, she then lightly pushed it up.

The cushion slowly moved up; the teen watched it propel up towards the ceiling, she waited a moment before she pressed her fingers against each other. As soon as she felt the pads on her fingers connect, another shock followed as the pillow fell onto her lap. The teen then leaned back onto the cold concrete wall as she looked out to what looked to be a black glass door with small holes littered at the top and bottom. But they weren't big enough for her to see what was outside the door.

Ochako curled into a ball trying to keep what dignity she had left; the girl had always felt as if somebody was watching her. The fact that only a thin layer of cloth that separated her from being completely naked, so it was fair to say that the brunette had been very self-conscious. However, her life here in the concrete cell that she resided in as every now and again a dark hole would appear with food and water. But sometimes a larger form of the opening would look, and a loud voice would erupt stating that it was time to begin testing.

Testing turned out to be an empty room with only what looked to be multiple robots that would attack her. That's how she discovered what it was that she could do, as anything she touches with the five pads on her fingers, Ochako could make it experience zero gravity, and the only way she could turn it off is by pressing the pink pads together. She had also found that the heavier the objects, the more nauseous she became. However, if she used her powers on herself the teen the urge to throw up would come twice as fast.

Though, Ochako did not just sit there and waited for things to happen to her. The teen had tried to find a way to escape, one of the attempts involved her trying to break the glass by using her powers to make her bed weightless and slamming it into the black glass. But she had quickly found that the bed was bolted down to the floor, as well as many other plans that ended in failure.

So, after many botched attempts she became more frustrated, the only reason she had not just suffered a full mental breakdown was one question. _'What would Deku do?'_ She remembered how when they would play any board game, and no matter what odds were stacked against him the majority of the time he would find a way to win, and when he lost, he would always make his opponents pay for it. So, with keeping her memories of her family and best friend, she chose to be patient as she would do everything she could to build her tolerance towards her nausea when she used her powers.

It wasn't like whoever had captured her had tried to stop her from training, as it was the only way she could pass the time. Ochako could not tell the time as there had been a lack of windows, and every time the teen would fall asleep she would be quickly interrupted by something. The brunette let out a heavy sigh as she was getting ready to start her training, but it was soon interrupted by a loud series of knocks on the glass door.

The brunette looked towards the source with a sense of curiosity. The black on the glass slowly began to fade away to reveal a male figure who seemed to be incredibly tall; he wore a black long-sleeved shirt and pants with red tennis shoes. Even in the dim light that had shone on him the teen would have mistaken him for a ghost with how pale his skin was, his light blue hair messy and unkempt, but her eyes widen at the sight of a pale white hand covering his face only revealing a single red eye that glared towards the teen.

Ochako could feel something was off about him as every cell in her body screamed at her to get as much distance between the two of them as possible. But she ignored it as she glared towards the blue-haired male, who just let out an annoyed sigh. "So, you're a part of the new batch that Kurogiri was going on about, honestly, I'm not impressed. I've seen Moogles that are more intimidating than you are." The male stated as he began to scratch the side of his neck, the brunette now started to notice that there was a new hole in the glass door right up to where her neck was and reasoned that it was how she could hear him. The teen had clenched her fists and straighten herself, _'if he is in some way related to the people who kidnapped Katsuki and me I might as well let out what I've held in for however long I've been here.'_

 __As the blue-haired male began to turn away from her, she shouted, "I don't know who you work for, but seeing you now is all I need to confirm what I've assumed. You are all monsters!" The male stood there as he continued to scratch his neck as she moved closer to the glass door. "You've kidnapped and experimented on me and whoever you brought to this hell, and you know what? The world has a long history of monsters like you, and how good people beat them." Ochako stated as she puffed out her chest and turned around, even in this dark cell she felt pride that she was able to get the last word.

However, before she could walk away, an arm quickly snaked around her neck and immediately slammed her back towards the glass door. The brunette's heart hammered against her chest as she tried to grab the arm, but the arm quickly slid away as it was replaced with two bony fingers squeezing her throat as he clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk, I wouldn't do that; you think you're the only one who has powers?" The male stated as she still heard the scratching had increased in pace as she felt a dark aura surrounded him causing the girl's body to freeze.

"You said earlier that I was a monster well you aren't wrong. Do you know what I can do? It's quite simple, everything I touch with all five of my fingers will turn into dust." The blue-haired male stated as he pressed another finger against her neck. "From steel…to flesh and well…I think you can figure out the rest." He stated as she felt the last digit hovering over her neck, her breathing had rapidly increased.

"So, does that make it difficult when you piss?" A new male voice called out, which even caused the aggressive male to stop his scratching. "I mean, I know you probably don't need all five of your fingers, but I find that…"

"SHUT UP!" The blue-haired male yelled as he threw Ochako across the cell, she let out a coughing fit. "JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" Her aggressor screamed as she heard a loud thump behind her. The brunette looked back and saw the male rapidly scratch his neck as he began to pant.

"Get me out of here Kurogiri." The blue-haired male ordered as a familiar dark hole appeared as he walked through it. "Geez man, it was just a simple question no need to freak out about it." Ochako looked back to see where the source of the new voice was.

"I wouldn't blame him; you tend to say a lot of stupid things every time you open your mouth." A new female voice interjected, as the brunette's interest continued to rise, in front of her cell stood a boy her age with shoulder-length black hair, and red eyes with a small scar over his right eye, he even stood in a cell similar to hers. The boy rolled his eyes as he turned towards Ochako and gave her a wide grin, which revealed the myriad of his sharp pointed teeth.

"Hey, sorry about that, I've wanted to ask that question ever since he mentioned his powers and I couldn't really help myself. But anyways, what you did there was so manly with that speech you made!"

"She's not even a man you idiot." The female voice from earlier stated to which the brunette looked towards the source to find a girl who was also the same age as her, with short purple hair and dark eyes. But what caught Ochako's attention was the two long flesh-colored string-like objects with metal at their ends hanging from her ears. The two new teens both wore a similar gown to what Ochako was wearing.

The new girl let out an annoyed sigh as she looked towards the brunette with a small smile as she leaned against her cell. "You okay?" Ochako nodded in response, "yeah thanks. But do you guys know where we are?" Both the two new teens shook their heads. "Sorry, we've tried to figure it out, but so far we've got nothing." The girl explained, which the brunette let out a defeated sigh. "But, that doesn't mean that we've given up on getting out of here, it's only a matter of time that we find a way out of this place!" The black-haired boy explained as he continued to hold his grin from earlier.

"Gah, stop it, your optimism is giving me a headache." The purple-haired girl groaned, but the boy simply ignored the comment, Ochako couldn't help but let out a small smile towards the boy whose grin grew even wider. "well, how about we get to introducing ourselves, I'm Eijiro Kirishima!" The boy exclaimed, the purple-haired girl let out a sigh, "I'm Kyoka Jiro." The girl nodded towards them, "I'm Ochako Uraraka, it's nice meeting you too."

"Great, now we have to wait for one more person then we can try to get out of here." Eijiro stated as he observed the area around them. "wait is there someone else here?" Ochako asked, to which the Jiro nodded, "yeah there was somebody in the cell next to yours, I was able to tell because of these." The purple haired girl explained as held up one of the long string-like objects around her ear. "It's kind of complicated, but I could hear two sets of footprints in both of the cells, but I couldn't tell who is exactly in there, but I at least know that whoever was in the cell next to you liked to pace around it."

"Yeah, and we can't tell who is in it because of the dark cover they put over the door. We can't see or hear whoever is in the cell until someone deactivates it like what yours did earlier, and then they leave it like that for some reason." Eijiro explained, however, unlike the other two the brunette had a pretty good guess who was next to her. "Katsuki Bakugo, that's the guy who is more than likely in that cell" the two other teens looked towards Ochako.

"Wait how do you know that?" Kyoka asked as the brunette let out a heavy sigh, "He and I were both kidnapped around the same time."

"I'm guessing you two must know each other then?" Eijiro asked to which Ochako nodded, and as much as she hated to admit it, if she were going to have a chance of escaping, then they would need Katsuki.

The blue-haired teen continued to scratch his neck, as he gnashed his teeth in frustration. _'Out of everyone they had taken, it has to be a complete idiot!'_ As he exited the dark portal the teen then took notice of a male figure who had appeared in front of him. The new figure wore a dark grey suit vest with a white long-sleeved collared shirt under the vest, and black dress pants and shoes. However, those were the only parts that made him look human as his head and hands were covered in black and purple mist with metal plates over where his neck should be and gold lines for his eyes.

"What did you think of subject eleven, Tomura?" the misty man asked to which Tomura let out a low growl, "I don't like her attitude Kurogiri, she thinks as if she is some sort of heroine, but she is nothing more than an annoying NPC." Kurogiri nodded, "well I hope you can look past the first impressions that each of the subjects have given you, but I do believe that this group looks to be the most promising that we have captured."

 _'They better be, I'll take an annoying party member if they're worth it in the long run.'_ Kurogiri then handed the teen a tablet "First is subject nine." On the front it showed the boy with black hair and red eyes, Tomura couldn't help but feel his fingernails had increased in pace, he remembered when he first saw that black-haired boy, _"what's with the hands, do you have a weird fetish or do you have some sort of disease on your face, or…"_ The blue-haired teen had to use every bit of his willpower not to grab him and watch the black-haired boy turn into ash. "His skin seems to develop into a unique compound of carbon and an unidentified element which hardens into a form of natural armor as well as adding enhanced strength."

Kurogiri explained as he displayed a video of the black-haired teen as his skin looked ragged as if it were made of stone. The teen punched into the chest of one of the robots in the training arena as another had slammed into the black-haired boy's side to whom retaliated by grabbing the machine's arm and tearing it out of its socket and using it to beat the android till it could no longer move. _'So, he's a Metapod that can punch.'_

"We have yet to see the limits of his durability as none of the opponents we have used against him have significantly damaged him with physical attacks." The blue-haired teen's red eye simply narrowed as he was not impressed with the subject's display. Taking notice of the boy's expression and Kurogiri swiped to the next subject revealing the purple-haired girl when he met the girl he figured that she wasn't going to be as dumb as the boy before her, but that didn't mean she was much better.

The blue-haired teen remembered the girl just merely narrowed her eyes as she looked at Tomura, _"if you're looking for the Ghost concert you're in the wrong neighborhood. Although you might need to work on your costume, it seems pretty lame."_ That and the myriad of snarky comments she made at him had become even more annoying. _'I already have a snarky party member, and I don't need another.'_

"Subject ten has a unique enhancement as her earlobes have produced two unique extensions that bear the resemblance of an audio jack that she can control at will. They also seem to give her an acute sense of hearing once she has plugged into a dense object and using her heartbeat to create a unique form of sonar." As if to prove his point the purple-haired girl stabbed the long plug-like earlobes into a wall, as she used it to sneak past the machines. "However, she does have some offensive abilities as well, whether she uses the lobes as whips, or she could insert the jacks into a humanoid and stun them by using her heartbeat to echo throughout their bodies."

 _'So, she's just a skinnier version of Loudred.'_ Tomura slid his finger to the next subject which showed the brunette that he had talked to earlier, "subject eleven enhancements have given her small pads on each of her fingers which allows her to simulate a form of zero gravity to anything that she touches with all five of the pads." The brunette hit the side of one of the machines twice her size as it began to float and pushed it as she could, causing it to slam into the wall next to her disabling it. "Subject eleven can return the gravity by either connecting the pads to each other or by becoming unconscious. However, she seems to have a weight limit of three tons and once she reaches her limit nausea seems to take over her and can render her unconscious."

Tomura did not even consider the girl, ever since he saw the brunette in that cell. The fire that burned in her eyes, he knew all it would do was create more problems, and that was one thing he could not afford. "Subject nine will be sent to Teacher; the Action Squad already has a tank that can do what he can, but significantly better. Subjects ten and eleven can go to our allies; we got better scouts and someone who can easily control the battlefield."

"Besides our friends could take care of their attitudes like they had with their attack dog." However, before Tomura could return the tablet, he noticed one extra file labeled **'Subject 12'** curiosity filled the blue-haired teen as he looked over to Kurogiri.

"Who is this?" the black misty man's eyes narrowed, "that is something you should not worry about Tomura." But before Kurogiri could grab the tablet, the teen simply pulled it out of his reach, "I'm only curious. Besides Teacher sent me here to increase my party isn't that right?"

The misty man paused for a moment before he gave the boy a slight nod. "Of course, Tomura" enjoying his little victory he began the video, "Subject twelve has a…unique enhancement which allows him to secrete a form of nitroglycerin." As if on queue a massive explosion filled the screen as a blonde boy erupted through the smoke charging an oncoming android as he thrust his palm onto the machine and another explosion destroyed it in the process.

"He used to have multiple smaller explosions across his body, that was until he somehow found a way to focus it in his hands within an hour. Subject twelve's body has also given itself a way to withstand the explosions by increasing his bone density so that they can withstand the force generated from the explosions. As well as a flame-retardant skin to avoid severe burn, and an increased number of tendons that could help against the recoil, although there seems to be one side effect" as the smoke cleared revealing the blonde as he began to pant heavily, revealing dark crimson eyes and a wide predatory grin.

"His aggression seems to have increased to an abnormal level, we've made sure to create a countermeasure so that others would not be harmed." The blonde keeled over as a metal collar around his neck began to produce a massive spike in electricity until he could no longer move.

Tomura had ceased his scratching as he focused on the video and a wide smile spread across his face under the hand. _'He has the strength and brutality of a Charizard and the explosive power of a Voltorb. Who knew such a combination would be…useful.'_

The blue-haired teen handed Kurogiri the tablet, "ready him to be transferred over to the base." The golden eyes on the misty man's face, "Tomura, I must protest…"

"There is only one way to defeat someone as aggressive as him, and that's by showing him who is the true alpha."

 _"Wow, Kacchan you're so cool!"_ Katsuki violently shook his head to throw out the memory as he breathed through his teeth the muzzle around the teen's face was tightly squeezing against his skin as a steel block covering his forearms up to his hands as chains connecting to the walls held him in place. The blonde scanned the clean grey walls surrounding him; this wasn't like his previous cell. The bed was gone, and a large slab of steel replaced the glass like the door. The teen tried to tug against the chains to test their strength; he let out an annoyed grunt as the chains held their place.

The teen recalled how he felt the burning sensation around his skin as he was strapped down on the operating table, a myriad of small pops scattered across his skin. The boy gnashed his teeth against one another as to endure the pain while he waited for his moment, trying everything he could to control the explosions around his body till he could focus it into his hands.

Then he waited as the various voices around him poked and prodded his body until Katsuki could only hear one. The blonde felt the tight restraints around his left wrist become slack, the teen's eyes opened slightly to see what looked to be a doctor. Katsuki decided that this was his chance as he slammed his recently freed hand towards the doctor and released an explosion towards the person's face launching them across the room.

Katsuki recalled the commotion as he hastily undid his restraints blowing away anyone who tried to get in his way. The blonde felt the adrenaline overtake his body as he continued his rampage until multiple large men in dark clothing tried to restrain him until the blonde was knocked out.

The teen felt the tightness of the collar they had put on him when he had become consciousness. Katsuki hated the collar as every time he would even reach for it the device he would feel a tremendous electrical shock. That was not the only time that he had felt the pain as back in his cell he would try to test his powers against the walls, the collar would continue to shock him as if he were a wild beast.

The only time it would not shock him, was when he would be thrown into the arena. There the blonde was able to let loose and test his limits, Katsuki loved the fights as he began to decimate any machine that got in his way. He even started to feel the same rush as when he had begun his first assault. The blonde would recall the faces of those he attacked and how they were taken aback by him as they would cower in fear. The teen couldn't help but grin under the muzzle, _'that's how it should be.'_

Ever since he could remember the blonde had been showered with praise, even as a young child Katsuki could quickly understand any subject that was given to him. One such occasion was when his mother had been able to teach the blonde how to read and write in Japanese not long after he just learned how to do the same in English, while he attended pre-school. Katsuki remembered how everyone in his class had come to awe over him and had begged him to write their names to which the blonde would happily oblige.

 _"Pfft!"_

 _"What's so funny Kacchan?"_

 _"Your name has a funny character right here 'deku' which means, someone who can't do anything."_

Katsuki's streak didn't end there, as the blonde would ace anything the teachers would throw at him, and he was becoming incredibly athletic as he could keep up with even the school's athletes. The boy continued to grow more popular as he would prove to his classmates how everything would go his way and they would surround him in hopes to get his luck; they even gave him the nickname of 'The King.'

The blonde would recall how other students tried to challenge him throughout his time at school, but it would always end with him pummeling them to the ground. Whenever teachers would ask him why the blonde did it, he would simply reply that it was all in 'self-defense' and then he would either get a minor punishment or none what so ever. All in all, he was living the high life he felt as if fate had made him a clear pathway, that he would be like Tony Stark and change the world, but there was only one person who challenged all of that.

Katsuki couldn't help but grind his teeth together as the familiar green hair boy flashed through his mind, he could feel his hands begin to warm at the thought of the nerd. Katsuki had first met him when they were kids as both of their mothers had known each other, they had bonded over one thing, All Might. Both boys loved the superhero as the two would play games where they were heroes.

Even though Katsuki would tease the boy, it was all in good fun at first. Until one day when the blonde's mother had taken the two and a few of his friends to Central Park, the group would explore around one of the large lakes. Katsuki recalled how he tried to climb onto one of the larger rocks. However, the fun quickly ended as he slipped and fell into the water.

The blonde remembered hearing voices asking if he was okay, luckily, he had received a couple of scratches and a set of now wet clothes, but as he was about to reassure his friends, Katsuki heard the sound of splashes. As the young boy looked up to see green hair running to the blonde with a hand held out towards his friend, the smaller boy looked at Katsuki, his green eyes wide, and filled with worry. _"Are you okay Kacchan?"_

At first, the blonde didn't understand why the green-haired boy was worried until it dawned on him. _'Is he looking down on me?'_ The thought continued to plague his mind until he finally snapped. _'It didn't make sense_ , _that nerd has nothing compared to me. I have everything that he doesn't; I am better than him! I'll make him pay for looking down on me!'_

So, with that thought raging through young Katsuki's mind as the blonde's perspective completely shifted as the blonde did everything he could to outcast the green-haired boy from the group. But much to Katsuki's chagrin his target kept coming back, it didn't help either when the girl showed up.

Ever since the brunette decided to stand up for the nerd, she would be a constant thorn in his side, and unlike the others who had challenged him. The blonde couldn't just attack and show her where she truly belonged, as the school valued her as one of their charity cases since she came from a poor family, so if he tried the staff would believe her over him.

…

"Hey Katsuki, what's your beef with Izuku?" One of the blonde's friends asked. Katsuki was rubbing the red mark the brunette had given to him earlier after the blonde had chased both her and the nerd off after she slapped him. The teen's friends had stopped his rampage, and they had convinced the blonde to blow off steam at one of the arcades nearby.

"Why does it fucking matter?" Katsuki snapped, the boy jumped back as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you got to admit what you said earlier was pretty harsh, don't you think?" The blonde simply rolled his eyes, "please he won't go through with it anyway, so there is nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, but what if…" the blonde glared at his friend who quickly chose to close his mouth. "Weren't the two of you friends when you were younger?" The other boy asked as he pulled out a small box as Katsuki was beginning to feel annoyed by the two's constant questioning as he was readying another remark until he saw the contents of the box. "What the hell is that?"

The blonde looked as he saw one of the boy's pull out a cigarette, his compatriot simple grinned, "found this in my dad's desk and thought I would-HEY!" Katsuki snatched both the cigarette and the box and tossed it in a nearby trash can, as he glared at the boy. "Don't you ever do that kind of shit when I'm nearby if somebody caught us that would be a mark on my record, dumbass!"

The boy's eyes widened at Katsuki's outburst quickly stopping his protest and forgetting about the pack. However, both of the blonde's friends' attention quickly changed from Katsuki to something behind him. The blonde slowly turned back to see a large muscular man towering over him. "Well, I'll need a shield for later, and you will have to do."

The blonde tried everything to escape, but it all ended in vain as he became nothing more than a hostage. For the first time since he could remember Katsuki felt, fear. The blonde was afraid to die, _'this can't be it, there are so many things I have yet to do, I can't die!'_

"LET GO OF HIM!" There he was the same defenseless nerd charging towards them.

It didn't make sense after everything Katsuki had done to the boy, he still wanted to help the blonde. It was Katsuki that still got the praise. All f the adults told him how brave he was, but that wasn't true, he was terrified. He was powerless, and yet it was the green-haired boy who charged in and tried to save him. The nerd's shaky smile pierced through his mind, _"because you looked like you needed help!"_

…

Katsuki furrowed his eyebrows as he looked down towards his hands. _'Back then I was helpless, but now I'm better than ever. So, whenever I get out of this shithole, I'm coming for you, Deku._


	9. Ch: 8 A Hero's Deduction

(A/N)Okay, where do I begin? Well for starters I'm sorry for taking so long to update this story, don't worry I'm not dead it just took longer than I expected. As I've had to deal with my college classes, (and my own procrastination as well) but my beta reader and I had a hard time meeting up until recently, and I wanted to give you guys the best, so I waited until I had some good feedback. So now that I've finished my finals, so I don't have any classes to slow me down. Oh and one more thing I'm also halfway finished with the next chapter, so while it may not update too soon, I swear it won't be longer than a month. With that out of the way I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Izuku's head quickly rose as a loud ringing sound echoed the apartment. The teen rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he turned his head to look at his alarm clock nearby which read, **"9:22 AM."** The green-haired boy lightly shook his head, _'I must've fallen asleep'_ the teen let out a heavy sigh. _'Well, I guess that's what I get for staying up late.'_

The boy looked over his room. Usually, the walls were littered with posters of All Might, along with shelves filled with comics, figures, and 40k models. However, one of the posters that had stood proudly in front of his desk had now sat on his bed as it was replaced by a large map of the city with a large red circle surrounding where his school was. Izuku leaned back against his chair and narrowed his eyes towards the map.

…

"So, do you mind telling what is your relation to miss Uraraka?" The detective asked Izuku as the two sat across each other in the living room. When the teen had returned from S.H.I.E.L.D, his mother had explained to the boy how both Ochako and Katsuki had disappeared a day before he had come back. She had then called over detectives who had come to her house earlier and asked her questions, and the two men had returned minutes later.

Now one of the detectives stood looking annoyed while his partner listened closely as they began questioning Izuku, the boy's mother looked like the only thing holding her back from bursting to tears was her son's hand lightly holding onto her wrist. "She's my best friend, ever since we met in first grade."

"Alright then do you also know who Katsuki Bakugo is?" The man who started the questions asked, to which the teen slowly nodded his head. "Well, he along with miss Uraraka have both been considered missing around the same time. So, when we looked through your school, two boys who claimed to mister Bakugo's friends and stated that they had last seen them talking together. Can you explain why the two of them might have talked to each other?"

Izuku couldn't help but widen his eyes as he stared at the two detectives completely dumbfounded. The boy slowly shook his head, "n-no, those two have always butted heads with each other, even as kids they couldn't stand each other."

 _'_ _It doesn't make any sense, why would she talk to Kacchan?'_ But before the teen could think about it any further, he was quickly interrupted by the questioning detective. "We also talked to the girl's parents they both said you were the last person that she called, is that correct?"

The teen nodded, "can you explain to us what your conversation was about?"

"Well I was going on a trip for two weeks, and I wanted to ask her for notes to help me catch up."

"Could you tell us where you were during that time?"

 _'_ _Crap, I was hoping they wouldn't ask about that, this isn't good my mom and friends are one thing, but police… If Steve could see right through me, what could I say to the authorities?'_ The teen let out a short breath, "He was out camping with a friend of the family for the past couple of weeks." The boy's mother quickly responded as he felt some unknown weight had lifted off of his shoulders.

The detectives seem to believe the green-haired woman as they continued their questioning for several minutes until the two men were satisfied. As the detectives stood at the door, the man who started the examination earlier, looked to the green-haired pair with a small smile across his face. "We'll be sure to solve this case as soon as possible."

Inko nodded her head appreciating the detective's words; the two men exited the apartment. The mother let out a heavy sigh as her eyes focused on the floor as she walked back to her room. However, before Izuku could follow her, the boy began to hear the detectives' muffled voices behind the door.

Curiosity began to overtake the green-haired boy as he slowly leaned onto the door, "all I'm saying Tsukauchi it's not impossible, their teenagers, they do stupid shit that doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe, but there is no evidence that the two just ran away together." Izuku slowly unlocked the door as he heard the voices began to move away from him. The teen slowly opened just enough to hear the detectives' conversation. "You do realize that we live in a world where you can find a billionaire in a high-tech suit and a Norse god flying around the skyline. I think things have already passed weird."

The teen heard a deep sigh, "yeah, but, we've got four disappearances in one week. It's just like last year all over again, if this keeps up no one will take us seriously anymore." The voices began to fade as they walked further away, but Izuku felt satisfied with what they had said.

 _'_ _I need to do some more research.'_

…

Izuku sighed as he clicked on the mouse as his desktop began to light up the dark room. The teen had looked more into the recent kidnappings that the detectives had talked about. First, was Kirishima Eijiro, he was from Newark, and he was reported missing earlier in the week. The second was Kyoka Jiro; the boy had found a little bit more information on her as she was the daughter of a very popular musician in Seattle who had come to the city as a part of a national tour.

However, despite the teen's findings he was currently at a dead end, as even when checked the disappearances of the year before all he had found was that those who were kidnapped were two boys and two girls, all between thirteen to fifteen, they were reported missing somewhere in Manhattan, and the incident happened around the same week. But, those were the only things that he found in common with them, and it was becoming more frustrating every time he tried to think of any connection that could help him.

The green-haired teen tried to go with the basics by starting with Katsuki and Ochako if he can at least find where they were taken he could find some clues that could help him. Izuku had at least narrowed it down to a few areas that could work. A light knock erupted throughout the room, "Izuku, are you awake?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Toshinori is here; he says that he wanted you to help him out at his shop." The boy was confused for a short moment before it quickly hit him. _'Crap, today is the day I start at SHIELD!'_ The teen quickly straightened himself up, when he finished as he exited his bedroom, _'maybe I can try to use some of the resources that SHIELD has when Steve comes back…'_

"I'm worried about him Toshinori." The teen stopped as he heard his mother's voice, Izuku slowly crept his way towards the source. "I know it's only been a few hours since he came back on your trip, but I've got this feeling…I'm just afraid with Ochako missing that he could do something dangerous, and I couldn't live with myself if he got hurt."

As the teen watched both Toshinori and his mother as the woman looked ready to burst into tears, "I-I know the two of you just got back from your trip, but…" The green-haired woman stopped as the blonde rested his hand on her shoulder as he gave her a small smile. "Don't worry Inko; I'll be sure to talk to him. So, don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

The woman let out a small smile as she nodded, Toshinori noticed the teen in his peripheral vision "Ah, there you are young man." Both adults turned towards the teen, the boy's mother had quickly given the teen a sandwich as he had yet eaten breakfast.

As both Izuku and Toshinori had said their goodbyes to the boy's mother as the two walked to the blonde's car as a deafening silence echoed between them. The teen couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he entered the car. For a moment the two sat in silence, as the green-haired boy looked towards his mentor as the blonde's usual smile was replaced by a deep frown.

Toshinori let out a deep sigh, "how many hours?" The boy felt a chill run down his spine from the man's tone. Izuku remained silent, "how many hours of sleep did you get?" The boy's mentor asked once again as he felt the man shoot daggers at the teen. Izuku couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh, "about four hours I think."

Silence echoed throughout the car, "y'know your mother is worried about you, and losing sleep is only proving her point." The teen tried to avoid eye contact from the man, "I can't just stand aside while my best friend is taken somewhere and who knows what's happening to her."

"I know you can't, but there are rules, and you may have become a part of SHIELD; however, you are still a newbie. Trust me young man, whoever kidnapped that poor girl is more than likely out of your league."

Izuku couldn't help but ground his teeth together, "I chose to be a hero because I wanted to help people. If I can't help Ochako, the one person who has always had my back, how can I do the same with others!"

The blonde let out another heavy sigh, "it's hard, but trust me sometimes it's best to wait for all of the facts until…"

"What if it was me?" The adult man stopped in his explanation, and Izuku took advantage of his mentor's silence as he continued. "What if it was Mom, what if either of us was kidnapped? Could you look at me and tell me that you would follow your own advice?"

The silence was deafening between the two and Izuku couldn't help but feel guilty from the accusation. However, the teen chose not to say anything as he heard the engine of the car as they began to leave towards S.H.I.E.L.D.

…

The silence between both Izuku and Toshinori was unbearable as they drove towards the S.H.I.E.L.D facility. The boy hated this, and every minute that his mentor remained quite the more guilt became to overtake him. The only way the boy could get his mind off of the lack of speaking was the breakfast his mother had made.

Finally, as they reached the parking lot at the facility and he could not hold the guilt any longer. "I'm sorry" Izuku blurted out as the car stopped. "I was out of line, and I shouldn't have lashed out, I know you want to keep me safe." The teen let out a deep breath feeling an enormous weight had been lifted off of his shoulders as he reached the car door.

But before the teen could open the door, the long twig-like arm kept the door shut. The teen looked over to his mentor as the blonde narrowed his eyes. "You can look for evidence." Izuku was taken aback by the statement. "However, even if you catch the bastards red-handed, you will not pursue. You will tell Aizawa or Nighteye, got it?" The boy's green eyes widened for a brief moment while Toshinori kept his stern gaze. "Look at my eyes and promise me."

The green-haired teen could feel the corners of his mouth rise as he nodded to Toshinori, "Yes sir!" The blonde sighed as he let go of the door and ruffled the boy's hair. "Now, go get 'em fanboy. It's time for the world to see a new hero!" Izuku couldn't help but chuckle as he got out of the car.

…

As Izuku walked towards the S.H.I.E.L.D facility as the familiar scraggily form of Aizawa stood at the front of the building. The teen felt a chill down of his spine as the agent glared at the green-haired boy, "you're late." Izuku felt his skin crawl from the man's tone; the teen quickly focused toward the concrete floor. "U-uh, I-I'm sorry sir, I'll be sure it won't happen again!"

The boy heard a light grunt from the agent, "I will be sure to hold you up to that. Now follow me, Shield has got a set for you whenever you begin your patrol. As well as introducing you to your new team." Eraser Head stated as he walked into the building with Izuku quickly followed the adult.

"Now did Sir explain what your situation is at SHIELD?" The green-haired teen quickly nodded in response to the agent's question. "Yes, he said I would be focused on more street-level activity, making us a C-team."

"Yes, that is correct; however you and your teammates maybe given chances to rise through the ranks to handle more difficult missions, and expanding your reach. You can go from missions focused on the city to assignments that could have you traveling the world, that is if you play your cards right."

Izuku once again nodded as the boy carefully listened to the agent's explanation as they continued their walk, _'that makes sense. It's like what Sir Nighteye stated yesterday, I'm still getting used to One for All, and it would be disastrous to send me on missions that could be considered way too dangerous for me. So, I'll start small and work my way up. But first, I need start investigating on the disappearances.'_

"Oh Midoriya, it's good to see you again!" The boy was quickly brought back to reality as he looked towards the familiar face of David Shield. The gave the inventor a small smile as he nodded. "You too mister Shield." The man let out a light chuckle as he scratched the back of his head, "just call me David. Wouldn't want you to be confusing my name with the organization itself now, would we?"

"So, I'm guessing that you're here to get your new uniform, correct?" David asked to which the boy gave the man a nod in response. The designer let out a small sigh, "well the one we're designing for you is taking longer than expected. I thought since you and Toshi have the same powers that I could use the same material I had used for his suit, but I hadn't realized how long it would take for me to start from scratch."

"So, for the time being, I have a good substitute, for the time being, Mei!" The brunette called out as the familiar pink haired girl's head popped up as if she were a meerkat covered dirt and grease with her usual set of goggles cover her eyes. Mei wiped her hands off the sides of her pants as she looked towards her superior. "what's up boss?"

"Could you get the set I tweaked last night for me." The girl nodded and walked away for a brief moment before returning with a dark set of clothes, along with a heavy set of combat boots, gloves, a vest, a dark beanie, and a half face mask.

"Do I know you?" Mei asked to which Izuku thought she was joking, but from her tone and how she moved closer towards the teen, which made the boy even more flustered. "Um, yeah I came here yesterday getting measured for my uniform, don't you remember?"

"Nope doesn't ring any bells!" The girl happily stated which confused Izuku even more, "are you serious? You invaded my space and everything, and you don't remember anything?" To which the pink-haired girl shook her head. "Not a thing."

The boy stood there completely shocked, _'but that was only yesterday!'_ However, before Izuku heard a sheepish chuckle from David behind the boy. "I'm sorry she doesn't do too well with people. Mei this is the boy with the suit with the new weave I was teaching you about yesterday." Suddenly the corners of the girl's mouth went from ear to ear as she returned to invading the boy's space. "Ooooh, so you're the one who's going to give me new babies!"

Izuku's body immediately stiffened as the color of his face completely turned red from embarrassment, which earned another sheepish laugh from the brunette. "That's what she calls her inventions, there's nothing you need to worry about." The boy became somewhat relaxed, but it didn't stop his nervousness about the pink-haired teen. A loud sigh erupted across the room as everyone looked over to see Aizawa with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Normally I wouldn't mind wasting some time, but both of us are on a schedule so can you hurry up." The agent stated to which the designer nodded.

"Yes, sorry about that Shota. Now what I've given you, for now, isn't uncommon for other SHIELD agents on the field although for you I wanted to maximize on mobility while giving you some decent protection from a common thug until I finish your official uniform."

"The clothes themselves will protect you from glass and random shrapnel that might be thrown your way, however, the vest itself is where you get the majority of your protection as it is stab proof, but I would be wary of those with firearms as they can penetrate it. The steel-toed boots and Kevlar gloves also help protect your hands and feet for both offense and defense, and the mask will help against blunt objects as I've tweaked it in a way for the energy from any form of bludgeoning and dispersing it, and along with this beanie it can allow you some form of anonymity."

The teen nodded as David looked over towards the agent, "alright he's all yours now Aizawa, sorry about the wait." To which the scruffy male simply sighed, "alright Midoriya I'll take you to the locker room so that you can change and then you will get to meet your fellow team members."

…

Izuku quickly suited up and had set his usual clothes in one of the lockers, as the teen quickly rushed out trying to not waste any more time. As the boy exited the locker room with both beanie and mask in hand, he was greeted by Aizawa who scanned the teen and narrowed his eyes towards his feet.

"What are you wearing?" The agent stated as he focused on the dark red shoes that the boy currently had on his feet. Izuku let out an audible gulp, "w-well you see I tried the boots on earlier, but they just made me feel like I was wearing cinder blocks on my feet. So, I chose these not only are they more comfortable but, they also can withstand me using Full Cowl, and are light enough to make me more mobile."

As the green-haired teen explained himself, he hid the major reason for his decision from the agent. While the shoes themselves may not provide any tactical advantages, it made up for it in sentimental value. The shoes he was wearing were the same ones he agreed to inherit One for All, along with the two weeks of training he had done with Toshinori and Steve. So, the teen figured what better way to signify his debut into the hero world with these shoes.

However, the agent let out an annoyed grunt, "whatever, it's about time that you met the rest of your teammates." Izuku felt his body begin to shake in excitement, _'this is so cool! I feel like I'm on the pages of a comic book, getting powers, being apart of a secret organization, and being apart of a team. It feels like back when Ochako and I…'_

The boy's heart stopped as the realization hit him, but Izuku narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. _'I need stay on target with my goals. I need to find evidence to both Kacchan and Ochako's kidnappers!'_

"Here" once again Izuku was brought back to reality as the agent had tossed a belt that held multiple pouches. "Even if you're Enhanced sometimes it better to have more options besides relying on your powers. After I had seen your abilities yesterday, I thought that these might help you out in the long run. Inside each pocket contains different items for utilities, from handcuffs to emergency first aid kit."

"As well as this" The scruffy agent held an object that went over the top of his fingers with a dull gray cylinder with a sharp point sitting in its center. "This is simply a grapple gun, all you need to do is point and pull on the handle, then let it do the rest. But in case you're in a situation where you need to move slowly you can press this button and it should unravel at a slower pace. Don't worry about whether it can hold your weight; it has a max limit of six hundred kilograms."

 _'_ _Wow, I guess there was bound to get one of these eventually, but geez this is incredible!'_ Izuku thought to himself as Aizawa handed him the gadget as the teen had kept a mental note of it in his mind for the future. "Now let's go meet the others."

The agent led the teen through the facility as a new voice called out, "is that the new blood Eraser Head?" A teen with medium length blonde hair, honey brown eyes, he wore a black shirt with a giant red exclamation point and a set of headphones around his neck. Aizawa ignored the blonde, "Midoriya this is Denki Kaminari, he is a part of your squad."

Izuku looked over to the blonde, "are you an Enhanced as well?" Denki let out a small chuckle, "well, if you consider being able to type at three-hundred words per minute a superpower. I'm the only 'normal' person here, but think of me as the squads' very own Otacon." The green-haired teen simply tilted his head; the blonde let out a deep sigh. "Never mind, I mostly deal with electronics and support for you guys on the field, along with some hacking here and there." The teen eyes widened towards Denki, "that's amazing!"

"Well, if you're impressed with that, then you are about to get your mind blown." The blonde stated as the three exited the facility. "Ah, mister Aizawa have you brought the recruit" a voice called towards the agent, Izuku felt a sense of curiosity towards the source, the teen's eyes widened.

There stood three individuals, one looked to be a knight in silver plate armor with a dark blue cloth underneath it, and what seemed to be mufflers that extended towards past his back. Next to him stood another teen who appeared to be slightly shorter than the armored knight, but that didn't make his appearance any less strange as his hair was split between red on his left and white on his right as he wore what looked to be pure white clothes with half of it covered in ice.

The boy looked towards Izuku, and the green-haired teen couldn't help but freeze in place. Similar to the boy's short hair his eyes were different on each side as the right was dark grey while the other was a piercing bright blue. However, what caught Izuku off guard was the large burn mark that covered the upper left side of his face, as the boy casually looked away, his eyes showing no signs of emotion behind them.

Then lastly was a girl, she was around his age, she had pale skin, dark grey eyes, and long jet-black hair that was tied into a large ponytail and a single long bang over the right of her face. She wore what looked to be a red leotard and a cream-colored belt, but the teen quickly looked away and covered the lower half of his face when he noticed the bare skin of her stomach the sides of her chest.

Izuku couldn't help but feel heat grow across his cheeks. _'Why do I feel like amI completely underdressed for this. They look like actual heroes from a comic while I look like someone who is going to rob a bank in a Silver Age book!'_

"This is Izuku Midoriya he is your new squadmate, and Iida he's also your new partner. Now, try to get acquainted with each other, or not, I don't care to be honest. Just let me know when you are ready to start your patrol and I'll get the quinjet fired up." The agent stated as he left the group of teens. Izuku couldn't help, but feel like his anxiety had been turned up to its absolute max.

But before the green-haired teen could think any more about it, the knight-like individual walk up to Izuku and extended his hand. "Why hello there Midoriya, and I look forward to working with you!" As the teen returned the gesture towards the knight, which the green-haired boy regretted as he felt as if his arm was going to be ripped off from the sheer force and speed of the others.

"I think that's good enough Tenya; it would be better if you had introduced him to the team." The black-haired girl stated which caused the knight to let go of Izuku's hand as he turned his head towards the girl, "of course! How rude of me, as your new partner I should commence your introduction!"

The knight had reached over to his helmet as a sharp hiss erupted as he slowly began to reveal his face. He looked younger than Izuku had expected with both his height and how he spoke, as he had short light black hair, and dark blue eyes that had made his expression appear stricter.

"I will begin by introducing myself! My name is Tenya Iida. Since we are going to start our partnership, then you should be able to understand my abilities. You see unlike the everyone else I was not necessarily born with any particular powers, but instead, I have these." Tenya stated as he lightly tapped his legs. "My legs are prosthetics that allows me to go at incredible speeds."

"However, when we are on the field you may call me Ingenium! This is Momo Yaoyorozu!" Tenya introduced as motioned towards the girl, as the knight stiffly moved his arms in a robotic-like motion. "Whenever we meet on the job you may call me Creati, my Enhancement allows me to create any inanimate object through my own skin by using that fat cells in my body." The girl quickly took over after Tenya as she finished her introduction.

 _'_ _That explains why so much of her body is exposed, but that doesn't make it any less embarrassing to look at!'_ Izuku wondered to himself, the teen quickly shook his head, "My name is Izuku Midoriya, and my Enhancement is a powerful form of super strength!"

"Wait, you do not possess a code name?" Tenya questioned, as the green-haired teen sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Izuku noticed it as the two introduced themselves how they had individual code names, which made sense when he thought about it. However, he was surprised that neither Toshinori nor Steve had ever had a chance to talk about this topic. "To be honest, the topic hadn't come up."

Momo had rested her hand upon her chin as she began to ponder. "Well, you said earlier that your enhancement grants you a form of super strength. Both your hair and eyes area similar color to the Hulk's, albeit it is a darker shade. We could call you Gamma after the radiation that created the Hulk."

"That sounds reasonable enough. So, for the time being, your codename will be Gamma!" Tenya loudly stated as his hand chopped the air in front of Izuku, startling the boy. _'I guess surprisingly I don't get much of a say on this. Oh well, I guess it could be worse.'_ However, before Izuku could say anything else, the green-haired teen noticed the teen with the burn across his face.

Izuku could feel a chill go down his spine as he locked onto the boy's heterochromatic eyes, as the burned teen glared at Izuku. "U-um, who is he?"

Both Tenya and Momo looked followed where Izuku was looking until they looked towards the burned teen. "Oh, yes of course. Why don't you come introduce yourself Todoroki!" The tallest teen exclaimed, to which Todoroki turned, "no." The green-haired teen was taken aback by dual-colored-haired boy's quick and blunt response. Which caused Tenya's hand to rapidly chop the air, "how rude! He is one our own teammates, how could you be so cold to your own allies. That is a terrible attitude for a hero to have!"

The teen simply shrugged as began to walk towards the quinjet, Tenya was about to confront the burned boy. "Wait, no it's fine, you don't need to get angry!" Izuku stated which seemed to somewhat calm the teen down for a moment. "Still, heroes cannot simply treat other people in that manner. That over there is Shoto Todoroki, he has no codename unlike everyone else. His Enhancement allows his left side to create fire while the right creates ice."

 _'_ _Whoa, that's amazing I wonder how strong his powers are, I wouldn't doubt someone like him could quickly rise through the ranks at SHIELD.'_

"Well, I should go talk to Shoto about where we should begin our patrol," Momo stated as she began to walk towards Shoto as she began to talk to the stoic teen. "We should also do the same Midoriya! Normally, I would normally go on my patrols alone. However, that is no longer the case, and since you are a beginner as well as a native to the city, it may be for the best if you chose where we can begin our patrol."

As Tenya continued his explanation; In, Izuku tried his best to hold back a grin. _'This is perfect! Not only can I be able to begin finding evidence to find Ochako and Kacchan, but if I'm correct about these patrols, it can also act as a rational way to convince Aizawa for me to continue my investigation as well.'_

"Well, if that's the case could we start the patrol around Gramercy? I know the area quite well, and the crime rate around this time of year is low, so it should be good for practice." The green-haired teen explained hoping that the taller boy would buy his reasoning.

Tenya began to ponder as the taller teen began to walk towards the quinjet. "We can work with that. However, I need to be sure to confirm your request with mister Aizawa before we leave." Izuku nodded, trying to hold back an excited yelp as they moved closer towards the S.H.I.E.L.D agent.

…

Izuku could hear a light tapping as his foot rapidly hit against the steel floor. The green-haired teen's nerves were on edge ever since he felt the quinjet lift off the ground and the other teens didn't help as they had just sat there in silence.

Izuku looked towards Tenya as the taller teen had returned to wearing his helmet. Once again hiding his expression, making it hard for the green-haired to guess anything that his partner was thinking. When the newest member tried to start a conversation with his partner, but he was quickly met with the taller teen chastised Izuku for attempting to endanger himself when he attempted to unbuckle his seat.

Even when he looked towards the other members of his team, Momo was holding onto what looked to be a visor with dark tinted glass with crimson sides, the black-haired girl seemed to fiddle with some set of buttons and dials, while Shoto did not seem to take any interest in his surroundings.

"Alright Ingenium, Gamma your drop zone is coming up in one minute!" Aizawa called out towards Izuku and Tenya, the silver and blue knight nodded towards the team's leader. "Of course, Eraser Head, are you ready Gamma?"

Izuku nodded as he pulled the beanie over his head and readied his mask. The green-haired teen felt the quinjet begin to decelerate and a light hiss pierced through the air as the ramp began to descend displaying the city as the day was reaching closer to its mid-point. Aizawa looked towards both Izuku and his partner as he made a quick motion with his hands, resulting in the taller teen to take off his restraints with the newbie quickly following suit.

"This is your drop zone, be sure to return here at around fifteen hundred hours, and we'll be sure to pick you up, or if an emergency comes along, do you understand?" Tenya made a quick salute towards the agent while Izuku simply nodded. "Good, now don't die out there." The green-haired teen let out a loud gulp from how blunt the agent's statement sounded.

Before he could think more about it, he then felt the knight light patting his shoulder. "Come on Gamma our journey awaits!" Izuku followed his partner towards the end of the ramp until the teen quickly stopped in his tracks as he looked down towards the what was below him, for instead of seeing any sort of solid grown was a rooftop around twenty feet below them. The shorter teen couldn't help but let out a small yelp at seeing the great distance below him.

"What is the problem Gamma?" Ingenium tilted his helmet towards the side a bit before looking down towards the roof below them, "ah, I see now! Do not fret grab onto my armor I should be able to brace for the both of us." Izuku looked at Tenya with confusion until it had hit him about his partner's prosthetics. Cautiously the shorter teen hopped onto the knight's back, the taller teen then jumped off the ramp and towards the roof below.

Izuku held onto Ingenium's armor for dear life as the two quickly descended towards the roof, until a loud "THUD" echoed around them as the knight landed onto the roof. Once Izuku realized that the two had reached the ground the shorter teen slowly let go of Tenya's armor as he dropped to the solid ground.

Izuku began to hear his heartbeat banging against his skull and his breathing began to rapidly increase as he noticed the large crater Tenya had created from his landing. _'I haven't even started the_ _patrol, and yet I can feel the adrenaline kicking in.'_ The shorter teen began to remember to Steve's training for the last couple of weeks as began to control his body.

"Gamma, did you hear what I had said?" The green-haired teen had quickly snapped back to reality as he looked towards Tenya. "Sorry I-I didn't, I'm just trying to…process everything that just happened." Ingenium seemed to give the shorter teen a small nod as he quickly made his usual chopping motion towards Izuku.

"It's no problem! However, you should be sure to pay more attention in the future! I asked if you lost your earpiece on our fall?" The taller teen asked to which felt around the right side of his head as he felt a small lump in his ear. Aizawa had given both Izuku and Shoto the small device before the quinjet had taken off as a way to keep in contact with their teammates. The shorter teen then gave Ingenium a thumbs up, "were good!"

"Fantastic! Now I'll be starting on a lower gear so that you can keep up. But in case there may be an emergency I want to hasten my pursuit; do you think that you can work with that?"

Izuku nodded towards the knight, "yeah I got it Ingenium, and besides I think I know where we are, to be honest, I can think of some shortcuts that can help us." Tenya seemed to be satisfied with that as he nodded towards the shorter teen. "That is great; now we shall begin our patrol!"

Three dark grey short pipes quickly extended out where his calves would be, as a burst of smoke erupted out of them as the silver knight took off running as he jumped off the side of the building. Izuku quickly activated Full Cowl as he promptly followed alongside Tenya by going from the rooftops of the city.

The green-haired teen watched from the quarter of his eye as the taller teen ran. Ingenium quickly zig-zagging past multiple vehicles and even jumping over them. Izuku couldn't help but be awestruck at the taller teen's speed and finesse, making the newbie wonder if he was capable of such speed if he continued working on One for All. _'Maybe he could give me tips whenever we get a break.'_ However, before Izuku could think more about it, a voice yelled into his ear.

 **"** **Gamma, I will be turning left at the next intersection, will you be able to reach it at this pace?"** Izuku looked towards the intersection that the taller teen had pointed out, the newbie looked towards the buildings around them making the quick calculations in his head. As the green-haired teen finished his mental calculations he couldn't help but grin, _'I guess those races with Steve are paying off!"_

"You don't have to worry about me Ingenium, I should be able to reach it no problem!"

 **"** **Very well then good luck to you Gamma!"**

Izuku took out the grapple gun Aizawa had given him, _'okay it's easy just point and pull and it should do the rest, that's at least what he said it should do.'_ Izuku held his breath as began to jump towards the building on the opposite side of him. Even with Full Cowl, he couldn't reach the building, but with the new tool, Aizawa had given him it shouldn't be too difficult or at least that was the idea anyway.

As the green-haired teen tightened his grip on the tool he felt a massive blast of air launch the hook towards the building the boy waited until he heard an electrical hum erupt from the grapple gun as he was propelled towards the building. Izuku couldn't help but feel a small amount of pride at the success as reached closer towards the building as just as he was close enough to the building the teen used his strength to yank the hook out of its place as his hand reached towards the edge of the roof of the building.

Using the momentum from the grapple gun Izuku pushed off against the roof with all of his might launching him up in the air, as the teen reached closer towards the roof the boy quickly began to go into a roll once he made contact with solid ground trying everything he could to spread the impact across his body.

Izuku continued with the momentum sprinting across the rooftop; the teen could not help but smile as he began to enjoy the adrenaline flowing through his body. The teen let out a howl of excitement as he started to bounce against the walls in the alleyway on his path as he made another leap towards another rooftop.

For a brief moment, Izuku seemed to forget everything, One for All, Toshinori and Steve, even trying to find Ochako and Katsuki. In that short moment of time, he ignored it all, as his inner child could not hold it together as he was in the air, as he fulfilled a part of his childhood dream as he even looked like he was in a panel ripped out of a comic. So, even with all of the crap he had to put up within the last few hours, Izuku felt at peace.

However, it did not take long for the teen to remember his mission and his goal to save both of his friends.

…

Izuku swiftly repelled down the side of one of the myriads of buildings with his grappling hook in hand. It had been about an hour and a half since he and Tenya had started their patrol, and during that time nothing too unusual had happened. While there was the occasional purse snatcher that the silver knight would quickly dispatch them, the most exciting thing Izuku had done was trying to catch a balloon for a little girl earlier.

However, that had quickly changed as they had gotten an alert that a bank was in the process of being robbed. Now the two had met around the side of the building next to the bank. Once Izuku reached Tenya's side, "who's in there?" The taller teen stood as still as a statue with only his head turning slightly as he scanned the front of the building.

"There looks to five men inside all with firearms from handguns and a rifle of some kind, and there is a car over there looks to be their escape vehicle. The driver inside has kept his eye on the building the entire time, so it would be safe to assume that he might be their driver." Izuku was shocked from the taller teen's quick analysis, he even looked towards the car that the knight had mentioned.

"Alright, what should we do?" Tenya returned to his silence for a brief moment before quickly answering back, "There looks to be multiple civilians inside, I cannot say for sure how many."

"How can you tell?" The knight simply tapped his helmet, embarrassing the shorter teen. _'Of course, he could see them, from what I've seen Tenya's armor seems to act similarly to the Iron Man suit.'_

"However, it does not matter how many there are we need to be as precise as possible, as we need to protect as many innocent people as possible." Izuku couldn't help be astounded by Tenya's reasoning, with his noble attitude and his armor it almost reminded him of those knights he would hear from fairy tales.

Ingenium then quickly turned his head towards Izuku, "I may have a plan, but we are going to use our speed to overwhelm them, are you willing to join me, or do you want to stay here cover me?"

Izuku could not help but smirk under his mask, "are you kidding I've been waiting for this moment as far as I can remember, I'm not going to pass this up, just tell me what to do!"

…

The doors of the bank burst open as two robbers' side by side with black ski masks covering their faces and dark clothes, each of them holding a handgun in one hand and a black duffle bags filled with their bounty in the other. The two grinned like madmen feeling the adrenaline of succeeding their crime.

However, their wild glee was quickly shattered as the robber on the left gasped for air as a knee slammed into his gut while the other criminal's collar had been grabbed by a hand sparking with green electricity. Izuku launched the two men back into the bank as kept Full Cowl active, using his enhanced strength the teen threw the robber back. _'This will clear the way!'_ The rookie quickly felt a burst of wind behind him signaling his partner's entrance as two loud grunts followed.

Izuku did not have time to watch as the robber he had thrown quickly trying to stand back up. Wasting no time, the rookie used Full Cowl to close the distance as he held his left arm to cover his left side as he quickly threw a right hook towards the criminal's jaw. The man soon went limp as he was knocked out cold and collapsed onto the ground.

Izuku looked back towards Tenya to see if he needed any help, "NOBODY FUCKING MOVE!" A short burst of gunfire caused the teen to freeze in place, the teen quickly turned his head towards the source. Izuku's eyes widened as he saw one of the robbers with a rifle pointing it towards an older couple. "Take one step, and I'll blow their brains out, ya'hear!"

The green-haired teen ground his teeth, both he and Tenya were hoping to avoid this outcome. Izuku looked around the building seeing multiple people on the ground either trying to remain as still as possible or silently sobbing from the stress of the crime; the rookie turned back towards the robber. With Full Cowl the teen figured he could reach the criminal and probably disarm him; however, he didn't know if he could make it before the man would fire his weapon, from how the man's gun was shaking it looked as if even the wind blew the wrong way it could set him off.

Izuku then looked towards his partner, hoping maybe the taller teen might have a plan, but all he saw was the knight with his head hung low and his hands balling up into fists. The two robbers lying unconscious, one who was lying face first on the floor, while the other was huddled over one of the many desks. "How dare you!" Ingenium growled under his breath; this only made the robber even more nervous.

"Using innocent people as living shields! It is detestable actions like that prove to me, that you are a true villain!" As Ingenium yelled the pipes on the back of his legs released multiple blue flames as they whined like jet engines, before the criminal could even react, the knight was immediately in the man's face as he kicked the gun out of his hands, and in one fluid motion Tenya grabbed the man and handcuffed him to two of his unconscious comrades.

"Now, that should teach you that villainy's reward is a cold cell." Izuku was taken aback from his partner's sheer speed, as multiple questions had quickly taken his mind how the taller teen had accomplished this feat. However, his mind had snapped back to reality as he heard the loud shrieking of tires as the car Tenya had guessed being the getaway vehicle speeding off and the robber he had kneed at the start was no longer there.

Both heroes ran straight towards the bank's entrance as they saw the vehicle hastily trying to escape. "We need to catch up with them, hurry Gamma!" However, before they could begin their chase Izuku heard what sounded to be what almost sounded like coughing and wheezing, "damn it, I was hoping that I had fixed that!" The knight cursed as smoke started to billow from the pipes.

 _'_ _That it isn't good, even if he can fix it, the act itself would waste precious time.'_ Izuku looked towards the speeding car go through the intersection as he narrowed his dark green eyes. "I'm pursuing!"

"Wait for Gamma not yet! The light is red, you can't just…" Before the taller teen could finish, Izuku using his enhanced speed t sprint towards the getaway car. The green-haired teen noticed the car going through the intersection; the rookie knew that he couldn't slow down, he sped towards one of the taxis and quickly jumped over its front and with both hands and propelled off its hood.

Izuku was quickly catching up to the getaway vehicle; however, the teen heard what sounded like quiet buzz fly past his head, followed by a loud 'BOOM' quickly followed it. The rookie was quickly realizing what had happened tried to act quickly as he used one of the cars to launch himself over the runaway car, hoping that he could try to avoid any unnecessary injuries. The hero rolled on the top of the roof as two more shots followed as they flew past him.

The rookie quickly pulled out his grappling gun as he launched himself towards the vehicle, making sure he was at least facing the car. Once he got a clear view of the windshield, he pointed the gadget and fired it towards the backseat. The hook launched as it quickly hit its mark and pulled him towards the back. The teen quickly used his free arm to cover his eyes as he slammed through the glass.

The green-haired boy let out a grunt as his side slammed into the back seat, but he had no time to think about it as the robber who shot at him was stunned by the entrance as the criminal covered his face from the glass. Izuku quickly tried to disarm the man as the teen tried to pull the gun out of the criminal's hands. However, the robber held onto the weapon tightly, remembering what Steve had taught him.

Using his enhanced strength, he twisted the robber's arm to the point of making his opponent let go of the firearm from the incredible pain forcing the gunman to loosen his grip on the weapon. The teen's opponent tried to counter by using his free hand to grab his throat. The teen gritted his teeth as he returned the favor by tightly gripping the inside of the man's palm and pried his opponent's hand away from his throat.

 **"** **Gamma good news, I'm back to peak performance! How are things on your end?"**

"I'm a little busy at the moment Ingenium." The teen stated before he slammed his head into the robber's forehead and quickly followed it up by grabbing the man's collar and driving his knee into his opponent's nose. The criminal's eyes slowly rolled his eyes in towards the back of his head as he was knocked out cold. **"Don't worry, I'm quickly gaining on your position, and I should be able to stop the vehicle. Although I would suggest that you brace yourself."**

It did not take long for Izuku to understand what his partner was planning. The teen quickly pulled a seatbelt over the unconscious robber. The driver now without his defender soon began to move his car erratically trying to knock the teen around the backseat to no avail. However, the driver stopped when Ingenium skidded sprinted towards the car. "Get out of my way tin can!" The driver yelled as the car began to lurch forward.

Before Izuku could react, he was launched out of the back seat and through the windshield. The teen quickly tried to ball up before he landed on the asphalt. When he finally stopped moving, he let out a low groan, which was quickly cut off by a car horn. Izuku could feel the pain all over his body was began to fade, the rookie was glad that One for All for making not only more durable and increasing his healing.

The new hero began to hear the driver yelling at him as Izuku slowly began to rise. "Woah!" A voice called out which caught the teen's attention to see three kids watching him with wide eyes and mouths agape. Izuku cleared his throat as he did his best All Might impression. "And that is why you must always wear seatbelts kids! Do not try this at home I'm…a professional, do you understand!"

The kids nodded in sync with each other as they began to leave the scene still watching the new hero. "I did tell you to brace yourself Gamma." Tenya had reached out his hand towards the rookie who gladly accepted it. "To be honest, I didn't think you would hit the car that hard." As Izuku looked back towards where the car had been hit and he was taken aback, the front of the car looked as if half of it had caved in on itself. The driver's head was laying on the deployed airbag with one arm cuffed to the car.

"You had also dropped this." The rookie looked towards his partner as the knight held the shorter teen's grapple gun. Izuku smiled under the mask; he grabbed the gadget as he nodded in appreciation. "Now, we should get out of here before the police show up, we may be apart of SHIELD, but we are still technically vigilantes."

The shorter teen nodded as he used the grapple gun to leave the scene.

…

"Phew, talk about a tough workout, do you normally deal with crimes like this Ingenium?" Izuku sat near the edge of the rooftop. The two had chosen to sit near the escape vehicle to keep an eye on the robbers to make sure neither of them tried to escape.

"Not usually, most of the time it is usually petty thieves or the occasional mugger. But robberies like those are quite rare. However, that could have gone worse." Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of the neck. "Yeah, sorry about running off earlier. I just didn't want them to escape."

"You don't need to worry Gamma, I messed up as well with not reaching the man with the rifle fast enough. But all we can do is learn from our mistakes."

Izuku smiled, however, the moment was interrupted by rumbling of his stomach. The rookie felt his face redden as he covered his stomach, the knight let out a light chuckle. Tenya walked towards the rookie and pulled out what looked to be some snack bar. "Here this will help replenish your energy. I'll keep watch here, you can take a quick break and we'll resume our patrol."

Ingenium had walked away while Izuku took off the face mask before he unwrapped the snack. The shorter teen then chose to explore the area, holding at least some hope to find evidence that could help locate Ochako and Katsuki. However, that light became dimmer the more he looked, but what was he expecting, finding the evidence was like finding a needle in a city-wide haystack.

The teen took a bite into his snack as he scanned the alley until something caught his eye, near the entrance of the alley as the bricks seemed off. "Hey, Ingenium, I'm going to check something, I'll be right back." Izuku held the snack in his mouth as he pulled out the grapple gun and launched it into the wall as he repelled off the wall.

Izuku heard his partner call out to him, but the green-haired did not listen as he reached the ground. The rookie looked at the alley's walls; the teen raised an eyebrow. It almost looked like frozen candle wax with its smooth surface and the side dark black across the edge.

A sudden thud interrupted his train of thought as Ingenium landed next to him as he began chopping his arm at air. "Gamma is everything alright!"

"I'm good; something just caught my eye," Izuku explained as he touched the wall, it seemed to gain Tenya's attention as well. "It almost looks like it's been…melted?"

"That might make sense with the ash over here." The knight stated as he pointed towards the dark spots. "But to do this, you would need at least fifteen hundred degrees Celsius." Izuku's curiosity continued to grow the more his partner talked.

The shorter teen looked around and noticed dark marks on the ground. The rookie lightly tapped his partner's side as he pointed towards the marks, to which the knight quickly complied as he knelt towards it. "These looks to be tire marks of some kind…" Ingenium's words flew over his head as he fumbled around his phone. The teen felt his breathing beginning to increase as unlocked his phone.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm testing out a theory." Izuku hit call as he waited for a brief moment as he held his breath as his body began to tense up. Then he heard it the loud heroic orchestra that he was very familiar with. The green-haired teen sprinted towards the source, he quickly moved trash out of the way, and he found it as its music continued to echo through the alley, but the screen was facing away from him. Izuku froze in place as fear crept over him, he let out a deep breath as he slowly turned the phone with its screen facing him. When he saw the screen, he almost broke down.

The screen had a picture of him wearing an old All Might hoodie with a fist raised in the air, with the name _'_ _ **Deku**_ _'_ above him.


End file.
